INGENIEUR
Transportation
Trends
S
tating transportation as the lifeline of a
country is not an over-statement considering
its crucial role in the mobility of goods
and human resources. Although Malaysia has
developed a good network of highways, airports
and maritime ports, coping with transportation
trends and innovation remains a challenge to our
engineers and planners.
The emerging transportation trends such as
self-driving cars, electric vehicles, shared mobility,
vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL),
digitized multimodal services and mega sea liners
will mean re-planning and construction for the
supporting infrastructure.
Malaysia’s strong foothold in the Maintenance,
Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and aerospace
manufacturing sub-sectors in the aviation
industry is well documented in the article on “Air
Transportation Growth”. The Malaysian Aerospace
Industry Blueprint 2030 sets the vision for
Malaysia to be the leading nation among ASEAN
countries.
The much talked about Tesla as the next
generation car is named the disrupter in the car
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industry that will change the future of driving.
However, the aspects of safety with auto-pilot
remain the main concern of future users. The
article on “Supercar Maker” looks into aspects
such as auto-pilot features, lowering cost of
battery packs, autopark and safety issues.
The article on “High Line, Manhattan New
York” highlights an interesting transformation
of an unused, elevated railway platform into a
pedestrian park in the busy city centre. Cities with
plans to build skybridges similar to Kuala Lumpur
skybridge should adopt a similar garden concept
making them a place to relax, enjoy city views and
cultural activities, apart from the sole function of
pedestrian movement.
The emerging Transportation Trends will
involve massive engineering input leveraging
on innovation and productivity. In the process,
engineers should not forget the UN Sustainable
Development Goals in delivering their products.
Dato’ Sri Ir. Dr Roslan bin Md Taha
President BEM