I was enjoying riding and reading on the LRT until a gentleman took a seat in front of me. 

He whipped out his mobile, and single-handedly robbed all the other passengers, mostly me, of peace and quiet. A cap on, face down, he cranked up his mobile to full volume. A non-stop barrage of music and vernacular serials. He was absolutely oblivious to the noisy mayhem he was creating. I actually moved to another seat as far away from him as I could manage.

Why or why don’t people use earphones or headphones? They are cheap and easily buyable. These noise invaders invade all public spaces. Eateries. Parks. Airport lounges. Walking on the roads. Cinemas. Hospital waiting areas. No exceptions. They are everywhere. Even during a short ride in a tight space like a lift. This lot is guilty of noise contamination. No consideration or just plain unaware. Either way, something needs to be done.

How about this? There are public service announcements (PSA) on sexual harassment and on the no eating and drinking rule while riding the MRT and LRT. Just add one more PSA on respecting passengers’ airspace. Inform riders to keep mobile phones on silent and/or use headphones when listening and/or viewing whatever on their mobiles, preferably not at the highest octave. Maybe, include a threat of a fine or ejection to offenders. Repeating the PSA enough times will hopefully sink in and inculcate good practice/manners. The same PSAs can be offered at all public places. A small ask and no money required from ‘the powers that be.’

I live in KL. It’s a vibrant city. There are many exceptional buildings gracing the city skyline. The insta-worthy KLCC Petronas Twin Towers. Its musical fountains are an all-day-and-night attraction for locals and tourists alike. There is the Merdeka 118 building, which resembles a mobile phone with an antenna. And, the Tun Razak Exchange or TRX with its 10-acre rooftop park.

There are also thoughtfully landscaped and well maintained city parks like the KLCC park, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, and Bukit Nanas Forrest Reserve. For foodies, restaurants with delicious and varied offerings are aplenty. And for nights out, there are bars, pubs, and clubs. A generally safe city, its citizens are usually friendly and helpful.

My husband and I have been living in KL for the past 18 years, and for the most part, it has been good. Noise, pollution, hotter temperature with more emissions. A broadly higher cost of living and density, more people, vehicles and buildings, are part and parcel of city living. That said, what shouldn’t be part of city life are hazardous and unavailable pavements.

I’ve written about pavements before. There are unfortunately many cracked, broken and missing blocks of pavement that should be present for walking on, and covering monsoon drains. They are open, exposed, and deep. And, they can easily swallow pedestrians whole and/or cause major injury. My husband once fell into one of those exposed drains and suffered bad bruises and cuts to his legs and arms. Luckily, he was younger and stronger to withstand the trauma. These dangerous pavements are particularly prevalent when and where construction works are going on. Like for instance, along and behind Jalan and Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, Jalan Mayang Sari and Jalan Ampang.

Pavements are walkways connecting places. When pedestrians run out of pavement, they have to walk on the road that is already congested with cars. Which brings me to another pavement related issue. The selfish attitude of motorists who park on pavements. Yes, on the pavements. Where? Many places but especially along Jalan Damai. By two schools where there are actual notices to not park on the pavement. Parking on the pavement forces school children and road users to, again, walk on the road. Imagine how difficult it is for the disabled, the elderly in a wheelchair and/or parents with young children and/or pushing a stroller – whenever/wherever a car sits on a pavement – blocking their right of way. 

It’s also embarrassing as we have more tourists visiting KL, and the unloved pavements are what they are subjected to when they walk from their hotels to destinations in and around KL. Not to mention, locals like me, who walk almost everywhere in the city.  

I’m not done yet with pavements. Why or why are there many small no-traction tiles masquerading as pavements? They don’t look especially nice. They are, as my late dad-in-law, used to say, ‘no use, no ornament.’ Just slippery and dangerous, when it rains, which is often. Walking on them is akin to walking on slimy eggshells.

Whose responsibility is it to build, care for and maintain pavements in KL? KL City Council? Developers? Management companies? Offices and retail outlet owners? One or all? Whoever/whomever it is, how about some regular checks and TLC for pavements in KL?

Please, thank you.