Abdul Azeez Kadar Hamsa

Evaluating the Living Environment in Residential Areas at Taman Melati, Kuala Lumpur

Abstract This paper investigates the living environment in a residential area at Taman Melati in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Traffic volume, NO2 emissions, noise level and streetlight illuminance were variables selected to measure the living environment. A questionnaire was also used to evaluate residents′ perceptions regarding their living environment. A high average traffic volume of about 7,800 vehicles per hour, especially along the arterial road (major road) was reported. Generally, a noise level in the range of 50-70 dB was measured in the residential area, and the average LAeq near the arterial road was about 76 dB. NO2 concentration in the residential area varied widely, between 0.01 ppm and 0.04 ppm; the average NO2 concentration was 0.018 ppm. The horizontal streetlight illuminance was measured under all streetlights and at every 5 m interval. The illuminance near the streetlights was high, but was low between them. Traffic noise proved to be a major limitation concerning a healthy living environment according to the residents of the study area. Even so, more than half the residents in the study area expressed satisfaction with the present living environment.

Analysis of Streetlight Illuminance in Residential Areas in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract Safety in residential areas, especially at night is essential as the economy and population rises. Streetlight enhances the safety level in residential areas. The purpose of this paper is to examine the actual measurement of streetlight illuminance at night and perceptions of residents on aspects related to streetlight illuminance by a questionnaire survey. Three residential areas were selected namely Taman Dato′ Keramat (TK) (comprising mainly old detached houses), Kampung Pasir (KP) (mainly traditional village houses) and Petaling Jaya (PJ) (modern detached houses). The average streetlight illuminance at all measurement points in the TK area was 7.0lx, the KP area 15.9lx and the PJ area 6.9lx. Consideration regarding the layout of trees and streetlights is also addressed in this paper. It was found that residents′ perceptions concerning the brightness of streetlights corresponded with the measurement results in the KP area, whereas, it did not in the TK and PJ areas because of the high frequency of low illuminance points. Obviously, the number of low illuminance points should be reduced so that residents will feel safe. At least two-thirds of the respondents who expressed ″very bright″ or ″bright″ about the streetlight illuminance felt that their residential areas are ″very safe″ or ″safe″.

Modelling the effects of factors on the stated preference towards telecommuting in IIUM campus, Gombak

ABSTRACT The increase in number of private vehicles has not only taken place in central cities, but has also occurred in university campuses. High use of private vehicles by IIUM community is posing a strain on the ability of the existing road to cope with the increasing traffic volume and parking demand within the campus. Telecommuting is one of the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures that aimed at reducing peak hour traffic congestion by allowing commuters to work from home to save their driving time to work, and more importantly to eliminate some vehicle trips. The main objective of this paper is to estimate the effects of the factors on the choice of telecommuting. Three hundred respondents participated in this study through survey questionnaire, which has resulted in a response rate of 67.11%. Findings indicate that 29% and 19.2% of the academic and administrative staff preferred to telecommute, if they were given the option. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to estimate the effects of socio-economic, trip and work related factors on the preference to telecommute. Parameter estimates on the administrative employees’ preference to telecommute indicate that number of young children, frequency of face-to-face communication and frequency of using email were significant factors in predicting whether an individual is more inclined to choose ‘definitely yes’ towards performing telecommuting as compared to ‘not at all’. As for academic employees, delay time (home-workplace), frequency of face-to-face communication, frequency of using fax machine, frequency of using email and frequency of using mobile network were significant predictors for the preference of ‘definitely yes’ towards telecommuting as compared to ‘not at all’.