Kota Kinabalu: A dedicated shuttle service linking major parking facilities with Queen Elizabeth Hospital I (QEH1) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital II (QEH2) has been proposed as an immediate solution to worsening parking congestion around the two hospitals.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Vice-President Gee Tien Siong said transport authorities should introduce a direct, two-way shuttle loop connecting KK Sentral, QEH1, the Foh Sang Parking Building and QEH2.
He said the service could be operated by redeploying just two to four buses from the existing fleet of more than 40 BAS.MY pink buses, providing hospital visitors with access to more than 800 parking spaces at KK Sentral and the Foh Sang Parking Building.
“Physical infrastructure, bus fleets and route connections are already fully operational, requiring zero additional capital expenditure for an immediate rollout,” he said in a statement.
Gee, a former Luyang Community Development Leader (PPM), said elected representatives and relevant officials should visit QEH2 to understand the severity of its parking shortage following the closure of its open-air parking lot for high-rise construction.
He said the adjacent Dewan Damai parking facility was filled to capacity daily, leaving displaced motorists with few options and forcing them to park along Jalan Bersatu, creating traffic hazards.
Gee noted that existing BAS.MY routes passed near both hospitals but took circuitous routes through residential areas in Lido, Damai and Kepayan instead of providing direct connections from major parking facilities.
“The existing routing scheme has manifestly failed to solve hospital access issues, evidently by the current parking situation despite the fully operating pink bus routes,” he said.
He urged transport authorities to make better use of existing resources rather than delay action through lengthy studies or deferred commitments.
“Rather than delaying public benefit through prolonged studies or deferred promises, transport authorities must act immediately to utilise these existing assets,” he said.
