The Klang Valley’s been heating up; figuratively and literally. With more development, growing communities and a spike in demand for resources to power our lives, the valley’s going to get hotter, and this time we’re talking about temperatures. 

To counter these effects, the federal government, local councils and civic-minded groups are coming up with some pretty cool solutions in the hope that people living in Malaysia will practice greener habits.

1. City Hall wants to cut down parking lots to make you walk more

Image credit: The Star Online

The heat and humidity, and lack of safe pavements deter people in Malaysia from walking and doesn’t help ease congestion in Kuala Lumpur. 

Cutting down car parks is a rather out of box thinking here, when usually, councils impose extra fees for vehicles to enter cities.

But to discourage motorists entirely from going into Kuala Lumpur is a new approach. Reducing parking spaces may stop vehicles from entering the city but what are the alternative transport?

READ: City Hall wants to cut parking spaces to allow pedestrian culture

Public transport is a bad word for some in the city – unreliability and inconvenient connections – are some of the reasons city folk don’t use it.  City Hall needs to work with transport agencies to ensure all forms of public transport are safe and reliable, and efficiently connected. 

Get those pavements mended too and keep walkways safe for people to use to cross busy roads.  Motorists in Malaysia love to park illegally, so authorities must be hard on the wrongdoers to show that they mean business.

2. Know your rubbish, because it’s time for separation 

Finally! This is an environmentalist’s favourite – garbage separation. It’s looking like we will all need to learn the difference between paper, glass and tin, to comply with this mandatory ruling. 

The Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry wants all households in Malaysia to seperate solid waste starting September this year. This includes plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, metal, food waste, lump waste and farm waste. 

Those who don’t do it will not have their rubbish collected.  Last year, Alam Flora had already given separate bins to residents in Kuala Lumpur to start separating rubbish.

The green policy was put in place in 2011, but it took time to implement as local laws had to be changed.  Waste separation canl help recycling efforts and reduce the need for environmentally-damaging landfills.  Putrajaya wants to cut down waste going to landfills by 40% by 2020, according to the National Solid Waste Management Department. 

What needs to happen next is for residents to be given clear guidelines on bins, type of bags and collection timetables, as well as enforcement so Malaysia’s cities can be greener. 
 

3. Who doesn’t enjoy a free ride?

We’ve been enjoying the free bus service in Petaling Jaya – the PJ City Bus – for nearly a year now.  Residents in PJ use this service from 6am to 9pm daily. The buses have wifi access (win!) and LED displays telling commuters of their arrival time, at 15 minute intervals. 

And come July, more people can get on this cool bus, namely folks in Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang. The service, which was launched by the PJ City Council, has been a real hit. 

READ: Free bus service for residents of Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang

Routes are being planned to connect to the Kelana Jaya LRT extension line, making public transport a cool option.  Not wanting to be outdone by its counterpart, the Shah Alam City Council has also offered bus services covering 13 stations.  

You can check out these bus routes here.

In Sunway, you can hop on its new electric bus for free over the next two months as part of the township’s new Bus Rapid Transit, an eco-friendly way to commute.  The buses get to ride on elevated roads, avoiding congestion and encouraging a freer traffic flow in and around the area.  Their bus routes and fares here. 
 

4. Two-wheels dominate city roads, and racing circuits too!

Kuala Lumpur residents do not have to wait for Chinese New Year or Hari Raya to enjoy a city that is free of vehicles.  Early this year, KL car-free mornings was turned into a regular event, held twice a month by City Hall. 

These mornings are enjoyed by cyclists, joggers, rollerbladers and skateboaders who have the chance to move freely and safely on the city roads. 

In Photos: KL Car Free Morning

The venue for the annual Formula One Grand Prix race opened last month for its first Motorsport-Free Morning, allowing outdoor enthusiasts who wanted to enjoy its 5,543-meter world class race track to do so for free, as long as their activities did not involve engines.

5. Safe way to get around for two-wheel enthusiasts

Bike paths are another win for City Hall as it turns to greener approaches in Kuala Lumpur. They can now cycle on a dedicated bike lane spanning 5.5 km from Dataran Merdeka to Midvalley City in Bangsar. 

So no more dodging fast cars or crossing six-lane highways just to do a little shopping. This path passes Sungai Klang, Brickfields, the compound of Kompleks Dayabumi and then to Lebuh Pasar Besar.  

The good news doesn’t stop there, City Hall wants to build a four-kilometre bike lane from Wangsa Maju to Taman Melati and another two-kilometre one from Wangsa Maju to Taman Batu Muda.  

There may be possibilities of cycling under elevated LRT and monorail tracks soon, as authorities are thinking about converting these lanes into bike paths.   If you’re thinking about cycling in the city, we’re recommending these fun and safe guidelines here, provided by independent initiative the Bicycle Map Project.
 

6. City Hall to turn gardener’s dreams into reality

C is for composting, a cool way for reusing and recycling waste. 

City Hall wants to use this method to produce fertiliser for the public gardens around Kuala Lumpur.  It plans to use garden and organic waste, turning it to garden gold to beautify trees and plants all around the city. 

This not only makes environmental sense, but saves the council nearly a million ringgit, which otherwise is used to pay for transporting waste to be properly disposed in landfills.
 

7. Dirty coffeeshop? Now you can actually help ‘clean’ it

Keeping the city green, keeping the city clean. That’s how City Hall wants to roll.

The council wants you to tell them if an eatery is dirty and flouting regulations.  A simple text to 15888 will do. 

READ: Found a dirty restaurant? Send us a text, says DBKL

We suggest telling them the name of the restaurant and its location, to help with enforcement.  City Hall wants a better pick up on this service as less than 200 people used this e-Adu service when was launched in 2011. 

If you’ve got other complaints that they can resolve, have a look at this simple online complaints service and get in touch with them. 
 

8. Learn how to go green yourself

You too can get involved in turning Kuala Lumpur into a greener city.  With increasing awareness of caring for the environment, there are many initiatives in the Klang Valley for you to join.

One quick way to find out what’s happening and where, take a look at MESYM’s site. MESYM lists green projects all over Klang Valley and Malaysia. 

“Connecting the green dots” is their tag line, and rightly so, since they put together numerous volunteering opportunities or projects. 

If you’re looking at learning about sustainable practices, head to workshops by Eat, Shoots and Roots, Biji-biji or Subur Community Gardens, to learn how to grow food or upcycle, while creating beautiful things from waste and understand the value of our environments.