Month: June 2022

Thousands of returning fans and spectators enjoyed the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival over the weekend as it opened its doors to the public for the first time in two years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labelled as the people’s race, the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival and Vios Challenge was re-energised thanks to the returning fans.

The festival featured a live concert by local rock group Bunkface on Saturday, on top of the many ground activities that included numerous sales, promotional and activity booths, and an urban street dining area serving up delicious local cuisines and delicacies.

Sunday morning began with an All-Wheel Fest where hundreds of participants, including families and children, were allowed access to the Sepang International Circuit for a spin on their bicycles, push scooters, roller blades and skateboards. Even runners were granted access to the track. 

The official opening ceremony of the festival comprised of a grid walkabout for fans and spectators, and later a procession of all the Toyota Vios race cars taking part. The day ended on a high note with an energetic performance by popular Indonesian singer Judika as a special treat for fans.

“We would like to thank all the spectators and fans who came to the festival. The enthusiasm and the level of excitement we witnessed have certainly motivated us to now begin planning for a more exciting Round 3 and Season 5 finale for them in September,” said UMW Toyota Motor President Ravindran K.

Sporting Class

In the sporting class, it was M7 Japan Project Team’s Mohammed Fariqe Hairuman who made the best of his pole position to lead a fiercely-contested front pack that involved no less than six drivers. That lead, however, only lasted for two laps before Axle Motorsport’s Hayden Haikal shot past Mohammed Fariqe for the lead with Laser Motor Racing’s Mark Darwin in tow.

Although many spectators were expecting it to end as a two-car battle for first place, Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel and his Prima Pearl TD Racing car started posting the fastest time on almost every lap, whereby he eventually made his way up from 12th position on the starting grid to win the race 1.5 seconds ahead of Darwin, with Hayden crossing the finish line in the third position.

Having missed the first two races of the season due to COVID-19, Tengku Djan will only have three more races remaining in the season to defend and capture his fourth overall Super Sporting Class title.

“I have to be optimistic. When I missed Round 1 I knew it will be difficult to contend for the championship. But I have teammate Mitchell Cheah and therefore I’m definitely going to be working with him to make sure he has a fair chance at the championship.” said Tengku Djan. 

The gentlemen and amateur drivers in the Sporting Class also put up an incredible show on the track with Axle Motorsport’s Naquib Azlan concluding a perfect race weekend with two race wins. 

Finishing second and perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was 23 Motors’ Abdul Miqail, followed by M7 Japan Project Team’s Ahmad Tarmimi Tahang. 

Starting from sixth position on the grid following a reverse grid format after yesterday’s Race 1 victory, Naquib was on a very determined charge from the get-go, seizing control of the race lead and building a five-second gap from as early as the third lap of the 20-lap race.

Ahmad Tarmimi was also the biggest gainer, climbing from ninth to third place, but the highlight of the race was the performance of 16-year-old Abdul Miqail, who also finished on the podium twice in two races this weekend.

Rookie Class

In the Rookie Class, Muhammad Hamdany clinched his first-ever race victory to retain his sterling record of four podium finishes in four races. The 19-year-old karter from Kuching, Sarawak finished ahead of simulator racer Nabil Azlan, and the only female driver in the Vios Challenge series, Adele Lew came in third. 

Promotional Class

As usual, there was a lot of drama in the promotional class, as actors Zizan Razak and Shukri Yahaya did not run away with the 18-lap race as predicted.

Instead, Nabil Ahmad took the race lead after Zizan had technical issues with his transmission, which forced him to concede five places with three laps to finish. Shukri was the first to take full advantage of Zizan’s misfortune, but would later suffer a similar fate.

Singer Wany Hasrita and actress Janna Nick blazed past the pair of Zizan and Shukri to clinch second and third positions, respectively. Finishing fourth was singer Nabila Razali, while Shukri and Zizan crossed the line in fifth and sixth positions, respectively. 

TV personality Ahirine Ahirudin claimed seventh place and TV host Ain Edruce finished eighth while singer Khai Bahar concluded a disappointing race weekend with a retirement.

“This is my first podium finish in two seasons. I started from pole position and sitting there waiting for the green starting lights to come on, I prayed for a good race. It was indeed a very good race and I am extremely thankful, despite facing numerous challenges on the track from going off the track, accidentally hitting, and being hit by others,” said an elated Janna. 

Round 3 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival and Vios Challenge is scheduled for September. For more information, visit the UMW Toyota Motor (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd website at www.toyota.com.my.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has unveiled some new locally assembled cars for the Malaysian market, and even better, they’re AMG models. Meet the GLA 35 4MATIC and the A 35 4MATIC…CKD.

A few years ago, MBM laid the groundwork for Malaysia’s first AMG, one that had not rolled off the factory floor in Affalterbach, with the W205-generation C 43 and X253 GLC 43. Despite this, its turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 that could touch 385 horsepower made up for its lack of provenance.

Now, the automaker has their two most compact AMG models offered at sharper pricing thanks to local assembly from their facility in Pekan, Pahang. The A 35 4MATIC four-door saloon slots in at RM325,090 while the crossover-based GLA 35 4MATIC is lobbed at RM345,048.

That being said, those figures assume you’re booking each car before the June 30th deadline for SST exemption. From July 1st, the A 35 will set you back RM343,888 and the GLA 35 RM363,888, so you had better act quick if you’re after those savings. And if you were curious, the A 35 in fully imported guise came with a sticker price of RM348,888 at the time of its initial launch back in later 2019.

In terms of raw specifications, both cars are actually quite similar. Both share the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 306hp and 400Nm, sending drive to all four wheels via the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system and a dual-clutch automatic transmission – 7-speed for the A 35, 8-speed for the GLA 35.

Top speed for both is electronically pegged at 250km/h but the A 35 is more accelerative, hitting 100km/h from standstill in 4.8 seconds as opposed to the GLA 35’s 5.2-second sprint. They’re also fitted with dynamic dampers (AMG Ride Control) that works with the AMG Dynamic Select drive modes.

Though this is the first time that a performance version of the second-generation (H247) Mercedes-Benz GLA, we have had the fully imported version of the A 35 in local showrooms for some time. So, if you’re familiar with that car, the automaker has seemingly made no omissions in its CKD transition.

Between the GLA 35 and A 35, shared features include the brand’s Multibeam LED headlights and a whole host of AMG-specific exterior flourishes for a more aggressive look. Of note, the A 35 gets 19-inch wheels while the taller GLA gains 20-inch alloys.

Inside, they’re also remarkably similar, which makes complete sense since the GLA is essentially a crossover-ified A-Class hatchback. Their dashboards are dominated by the MBUX infotainment and multimedia system featuring twin 10.25-inch displays, supporting all the usual features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 64-colour ambient lighting, in-built navigation, and an integrated LTE comms modem.

Much of the cabin cosmetics are specific to this AMG variant including its ARTICO leather and DINAMICA microfibre upholstery for its sports seats, carbon trim inserts, and an AMG Performance steering wheel in Nappa leather. As a cherry on top, there’s also a 12-speaker Burmester surround sound system.

In terms of safety, both the locally assembled A 35 and GLA 35 come with a comprehensive showing of active safety and driver-assist features that includes Active Brake Assist (AEB), Active Lane Tracking, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Parking Package with a 360-degree camera system. Of course, this is in addition to the usual array of airbags, anti-lock brakes, front/rear parking sensors, and reversing camera.

Remember, time is running short on the remaining window to take advantage of the SST exemption which ends on June 30th, so you had better get a move on if you’re interested in either of these new Mercedes-Benz models.

Tarif elektrik bagi pengguna domestik kategori kediaman serta pengguna bukan domestik (komersial dan industri) di Semenanjung Malaysia kekal bagi tempoh 1 Julai hingga 31 Disember ini.

Keputusan tersebut dibuat melalui pelarasaan tarif elektrik di bawah pelaksanaan mekanisme Ketidakseimbangan Pelepasan Kos Bahan Api (ICPT).

Pelaksanaan Mekanisme ICPT

Menurut Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST), pelaksanaan mekanisme ICPT membolehkan:

Pemberian rebat 2 sen/kWj dikekalkan
Tiada surcaj dikenakan untuk pengguna domestik
Surcaj 3.70 sen/kWj untuk pengguna bukan domestik dikekalkan

ST turut memaklumkan jumlah keseluruhan peruntukan pemberian rebat dan kos surcaj ICPT yang ditanggung oleh kerajaan adalah sebanyak RM5.8 bilion.

ST turut mengesahkan bahawa kerajaan sudah bersetuju supaya pelarasan tarif elektrik di bawah mekanisme ICPT bagi pengguna di Semenanjung dilaksanakan untuk tempoh 1 Julai hingga 31 Disember ini.

Peruntukan Kerajaan Bagi Mengekalkan Tarif

Dengan mengekalkan pemberian rebat semasa dan tanggungan kos surcaj ICPT sepenuhnya kepada semua pengguna domestik, kerajaan memperuntukkan dana sebanyak RM2.3 bilion untuk menanggung kos tersebut.

Selain itu, ST turut memaklumkan bahawa kerajaan juga memperuntukkan sejumlah RM3.5 bilion untuk memastikan surcaj ICPT semasa dikekalkan kepada pengguna bukan domestik seperti komersial dan industri daripada dikenakan keseluruhan surcaj yang sepatutnya pada 11.81 sen/kWj.

Harga Arang Batu Meningkat

Menurut ST, berlaku peningkatan dalam kos bahan api dan kos penjanaan lain sebanyak RM7 bilion atau bersamaan dengan surcaj ICPT pada kadar 11.81 sen/kWj bagi tempoh 1 Januari hingga 30 Jun ini.

Ia ekoran kenaikan harga arang batu di pasaran dunia sehingga mencecah AS$265 per tan berbanding dengan kadar AS$79 per tan yang diunjurkan dalam kadar tarif asas Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), dan antara puncanya adalah berikutan krisis global yang berlaku dan kekangan bekalan arang batu dunia.

Lebih 80% daripada elektrik yang dijana di Malaysia menggunakan arang batu dan gas.

*Kredit foto: Bernama

Kos Bahan Api, Penjanaan Elektrik Disemak Setiap 6 Bulan

Di bawah mekanisme ICPT, ST menjelaskan bahawa kos bahan api dan kos penjanaan elektrik akan disemak setiap enam bulan dan dilepaskan kepada pengguna elektrik dalam bentuk rebat atau surcaj bergantung kepada penjimatan atau peningkatan kos terbabit.

Sebagai langkah untuk meminimumkan kos bil elektrik, pengguna elektrik di Semenanjung digalakkan untuk memanfaatkan Program Net Energy Metering (NEM), selain digalakkan untuk melaksanakan langkah-langkah menggunakan elektrik dengan cekap.

Pengguna juga boleh menganggarkan kos bil elektrik bulanan pada masa akan datang dengan menggunakan kalkulator tarif elektrik melalui portal www.myelectricitybill.my dan memasukkan unjuran harga arang batu dan gas serta kadar tukaran wang asing untuk membuat anggaran kos ICPT pada tempoh pelarasan tarif akan datang.

Kenaikan tarif elektrik semestinya menyumbang terhadap kenaikan harga barang seperti barang dapur hinggalah kepada harga kereta. Namun dengan pengumuman kerajaan ini, pengguna kereta elektrik mungkin boleh menarik nafas lega buat masa ini tetapi adakah harga barang masih akan meningkat meskipun harga tarif elektrik kekal sehingga hujung tahun ini?

If you can’t take the car away from the Rakyat, try not making us have to rush into (and out of) the same place every morning and evening. How can it not work?

Does your life in some way come into contact with traffic congestion?
Do you live in or have to drive around the Klang Valley?
Come on now, you know it’s been on your mind too.
Wouldn’t it be better if everyone continued ‘working from home’ (WFH)?

If there was one thing positive about the several stints we, in Malaysia, spent in lockdown (MCO), it was the absence of congestion. Everyone pretty much stayed home and consequently the roads were free and made so by government order.

Surprisingly, the economy did not immediately crumble as the overwhelming majority of us took it upon ourselves to stay busy and ‘get on with it’. As an adaptation to avoid physical contact, WFH was something everyone around the world had to awkwardly stumble into.

Suddenly everyone had to dust off that unused laptop webcam and make do with looking good from the waist up over a Zoom call. Making sure your kids or cat or dog or an explosion did not interrupt you during a remote meeting became the only real concern, not traffic jams, lane hoggers, slow drivers, random honks, finding a parking spot, and the probability of getting anywhere late.

Can’t Have Traffic If There’s Nowhere To Be

That’s just straight facts. If the majority or even some significant percentage of the country’s workforce did not have to show up at and leave the office at some arbitrary time (say, 9am-5pm), traffic congestion would just disappear.

Nobody voluntarily gets themselves stuck in traffic, but we put up with it because of silly expectation as an employee. Think about it, would you subject yourself and your car to gridlock if you were the boss?

Anyone and everyone can cite as many arguments about Malaysia’s (the Klang Valley in particular) terrible road condition, the spaghetti abomination that is our intra-city road and highway network, the costs of tolls. There’s plenty of criticise, obviously.

Unfortunately, solving any of those issues is going to take years if not decades, and that’s assuming the deployed remedy isn’t the usual stop-gaps and short-term patch jobs we’re used to seeing.

But What About Productivity?

Commuting is a waste of time and energy that gets you exhausted even before you start actual ‘work’ each day. So why not cut it out of the equation all together instead of finding ways around it?

Traffic has been a bane of urban human existence for over a full century and one that we just can’t get around to solve. We expand our cities, our population grows larger, we make more advanced vehicles, construct elaborate public transportation systems, but things….well, they still suck.

However, the biggest hurdle to the adoption of WFH policies beyond the COVID-19 pandemic are employers themselves who insist that everyone show up to the office like it was before, perhaps fearing that something would be lost otherwise. Maybe it’s productivity, maybe its ‘company culture’, maybe its the insecurity of not seeing employees as they ‘do work’ all day.

Standing counter to this notion are numerous studies conducted both during the lockdown phases and after on companies that were forced to implement WFH because of government mandate but have diverged in their abolishment or continued allowance for remote working.

Surprise surprise, most if not all of these point to a legitimately measurable – often significant – improvement in overall employee happiness and productivity when allowed to work from home and/or implement flexible hours.

You can look them up yourself but one example I’ll leave here is research done by Stanford University in California involving 16,000 workers in Shanghai conducted over 2 years that found a 13% increase in productivity and attrition rates dropping by a shocking 50%.  

More pertinent to employers, they were able to save almost USD$2,000 per employee on rent by reducing office place at their HQ. However, a noteworthy twist here is that participants eventually wanted to return to the office after working from home 100% of the time due to too much isolation.

Here’s Where Policymakers Step In

Instead of promising more highways be built, introducing congestion charges to enter Kuala Lumpur, or giving us a gratuitous free RapidKL rail/bus rides for a month, the government could help kickstart the post-pandemic WFH movement by encouraging employers directly.

It really wouldn’t take a lot of effort either, at least to start with.

A simple educative statement in support of it would make clear where policymakers stand and from there incentives could be put in place to further gain traction. Given this will impact the country’s traffic woes – not to mention air pollution levels – directly, they are just as important as other initiatives such as recycling, the use of household solar panels, and KL’s car-free Sundays.

Not Everyone Can WFH And That’s Fine

Where during the pandemic the working population were, within a brief and disruptive window, forced to make adjustments to work from home while other occupational activities that explicitly require in-person involvement (such as construction) were halted altogether, the point here is not to repeat this transition.

That said, even if increased support of WFH policies would result 20-30% percent fewer vehicles on the road at peak hours, that would be enough. However, for a large portion of the workforce that can perform their tasks from home just as effectively or more so, allowing them to do so without putting a lengthy commute in their way would be enough.

Kia is pretty much on the cusp of launching the locally assembled 2022 Kia Carnival version of their newest MPV that debuted on Malaysian soil in late 2021.

Since its initial appearance as a fully imported (CBU) vehicle in a sole 11-seat configuration, the public has been anticipating the eventual emergence of a better-equipped, possibly cheaper 4th-generation (KA4) Carnival from new local distributors Dinamikjaya Motors.

2022 Kia Carnival CKD – but not cheaper

As was previously reported, a Kia dealer in the Seri Kembangan area has been pretty liberal with information about the yet-to-be-launched MPV in locally assembled form in addition to accepting new bookings.

Now, the same dealership has published more detailed specifications of the incoming models alongside comparisons against the 11-seat CBU Carnival, which will presumably be discontinued once the current inventory is depleted. Interestingly, with a starting price of around RM235,000, it’s priced considerably higher than the RM196k version that was sold previously.

Clearly, Kia is hoping to compensate for this price bump with a much longer list of standard equipment, but it has yet to be seen if customers will also agree.

The powertrain is carried over unchanged with all variants powered by a 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder that outputs 202PS and 440Nm of torque that sends power to the front wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission.

In terms of the exterior, there shouldn’t be much to differentiate between them as they should share the same body colour options as well as a set of 18-inch wheels.

Besides the seat count, this ‘entry-level’ CKD version will essentially come fitted with all the kit already found on the CBU version such as the analogue gauge cluster but adds a 12-speaker Bose audio system.

7-seat or 8-seat Kia Carnival?

Above this, buyers will get the option of a ‘High-Spec’ range-topper Carnival but have the option of choosing a 7-seat or 8-seat cabin. Upgrades include a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, dual powered sunroofs, heated/ventilated front seats, and LED interior lighting.

Importantly, it’s this variant that receives a full suite of active safety and driver aid features above the 360-degree camera system, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Blind Spot Monitoring that the CBU version had and will now be shared by the CKD 8-seater (Mid).

Beyond this, the incoming top rung Carnival will get High Beam Assist, Smart Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Driver Attention Warning, and Forward Collision Avoidance (AEB) with Junction Turning.

We’ll have to wait and see if Kia’s new distributors will continue to offer the 11-seater as a locally assembled variant but judging against the relatively small number of buyers that actually need that sort of carrying capacity, it’s likely that 8 occupants are to be the maximum capacity going forward.

Menurut JPJ, sebanyak 55,000 kesalahan melibatkan pemilik kenderaan yang membenarkan pemandu tanpa lesen membawa kenderaan mereka telah direkodkan di seluruh negara dari Januari hingga Mei 2022.

Menurut Timbalan Ketua Pengarah (Perancangan dan Operasi) JPJ, Aedy Fadly Ramli berkata pihaknya kesal dengan sikap ambil mudah sesetengah pemilik yang berterusan melakukan kesalahan tersebut tanpa memikirkan risiko terhadap pemandu lain.

Pemilik Kenderaan Tidak Bertanggungjawab

Berdasarkan pemerhatian dan analisis terkini JPJ, tiada perubahan sikap dan tanggungjawab yang ketara dalam kalangan pemilik kenderaan mengenai isu ini dalam tempoh empat tahun kebelakangan ini.

Menurut Aedy, sebanyak 347,300 pemilik kenderaan didapati membenarkan individu tanpa lesen membawa kenderaan mereka sejak Januari 2019 hingga Mei tahun ini.

Tambahnya, kebanyakan kesalahan melibatkan ahli keluarga terutama ibu bapa yang memberi kebenaran kepada anak-anak, termasuk mereka yang dibawah umur untuk memandu dengan pelbagai alasan tidak munasabah.

Hukuman Terhadap Pemilik Ingkar

JPJ telah mengingatkan orang ramai supaya mengambil serius berkenaan isu ini kerana pemilik yang ingkar boleh dikenakan tindakan mengikut Seksyen 26 (1) Akta Pengangkutan Jalan 1987 iaitu denda tidak kurang RM300 dan maksimum RM3,000 atau dipenjara sehingga tiga bulan atau kedua-duanya sekali.

Selain itu, JPJ juga boleh mengenakan tindakan yang lebih tegas kepada pemilik seperti menyita kenderaan mengikut Seksyen 64 (1) Akta Pengangkutan Jalan 1987.

Sementara itu, sebanyak 580 kenderaan telah diperiksa dalam satu operasi yang dijalankan bersama Jabatan Imigresen dan Agensi Anti Dadah Kebangsaan (AADK). Daripada bilangan tersebut, sebanyak 133 kenderaan diberi notis atas pelbagai kesalahan termasuk tiada lesen memandu serta lesen tamat tempoh.

*Kredit foto: AADK Daerah Kemaman, Harian Metro

Due to fatigue and interaction with application systems, about three to four accidents are reported weekly among p-hailing riders in the country.

According to a report by The Star, Zulhelmi Mansor, President of the Persatuan Penghantar P-Hailing Malaysia has said that the lack of awareness of safety is one of the main causes of accidents involving such riders.

“On average, they work more than four hours non-stop to chase trips and bookings until they are tired and eventually lead to accidents,” he told reporters after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Penghantar and the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH).

“This cooperation is to support Penghantar’s safety and health policy towards creating a safe work culture among p-hailing riders and to prioritise occupational safety and health (OSH) based on the Occupational Safety and Health Act,” said Mansor.

“It is also to create awareness and protection among p-hailing riders on OSH as well as to ensure that all riders wear personal protective equipment while working,” he added.

Dr Shawaludin said MSOSH would recognise the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) module developed by Penghantar.

“It will be adapted as the p-hailing OSH guidelines as a whole, thus improving the social safety net of its employees,” he said.

Last year, Bukit Aman Deputy Director of Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), Datuk Mohd Nadzri Hussain said he was concerned about the rising numbers of accidents involving p-hailing riders. 

Data collected from January 2020 to July 2021 across the country showed that out of the 347 accidents, 48 were fatal while the rest were severe or minor injuries.

For 2020, e-hailing drivers and riders recorded 17 deaths, 10 severe cases, and 64 minor injuries.

Members of the public will suffer if the targeted fuel subsidy programme is implemented.

According to a report by Malaysian Insight, the Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) has come out and said that a targeted fuel subsidy programme cannot be implemented now, as members of the public will pay a high cost for it.

PDAM President Khairul Annuar Abdul Aziz said that although a targeted programme is better than allowing subsidy leakages – if introduced now, it will cause a ripple effect that will see prices of goods across the board rise even further.

Khairul’s suggestion is to gradually increase fuel prices, instead of a jump, and all forms of subsidies should be given as cash aid directly to affected persons, according to a report compiled by FMT.

“We hope the government can sit down with us dealers to talk about the impact as soon as possible,” he said.

The current deliberation by the government to introduce a targeted fuel subsidy programme came after Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz’s intention to review fuel subsidies currently in place due to the sharply rising global price of crude oil, which recently has exceeded US$120 per barrel (RM503.16).

Back in May, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed said, despite the massive hike in global oil prices, the country’s fuel subsidy will continue as oil and gas remain essential drivers of growth and a key pillar of Malaysia’s development.

The narrative has changed since then, as an interview with Bloomberg saw Mustapa saying that the Malaysian government has begun work on replacing the current blanket fuel subsidy scheme with a more targeted approach in light of rising government spending to deal with the higher living costs.

“Unanticipated subsidies are expected to push the government’s total spending in 2022 significantly higher by about 30 billion ringgit ($6.8 billion), adding that the higher revenue from rising commodity prices was insufficient to offset the spike. The extra funds were mainly for petrol, chicken and egg subsidies as well as flood reliefs,” wrote the Bloomberg report. 

The report continued by adding that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob expects the final subsidy bill this year to breach 71 billion ringgit.

Para pekerja di Lembah Klang yang menaiki kereta terpaksa memperuntukkan sekurang-kurangnya 44 jam sebulan di dalam kereta akibat terperangkap dalam kesesakan jalan raya.

Menurut Pensyarah Kanan Pusat Pengajian Kimia dan Persekitaran Fakulti Sains Gunaan, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Ts Dr Ismaniza Ismail berkata, setiap hari pekerja yang berulang alik ke tempat kerja terpaksa menghabiskan masa kira-kira sejam atau dua jam di dalam kenderaan.

*Kredit foto: Bernama

Masa Terbuang

Menurut Dr Ismaniza, banyak masa terbuang setiap hari akibat kesesakan jalan raya. Walaupun cukup lapan jam waktu bekerja harian, hakikatnya tetap ada sejam dua yang ‘hilang’ setelah tersangkut dalam kesesakan trafik.

Tambahnya, keadaan yang berlaku ini turut memberi kesan terhadap kos produktiviti pekerjaan.

“Sekiranya purata gaji sejam ialah RM7, didarab dengan dua jam dan 22 hari bekerja, kerugian produktiviti dianggarkan RM308 sebulan yang ‘terbazir’ di atas jalan,” katanya.

*Kredit foto: Bernama

Beri Kesan Negatif 

Berdasarkan kenyataan Dr Ismaniza, kesesakan lalu lintas boleh menyebabkan:

Tekanan akibat terperangkap dalam trafik yang statik
Boleh mengganggu emosi dan produktiviti
Menjejaskan suasana kerja
Duduk terlalu lama di dalam kenderaan boleh menyebabkan sakit belakang sekiranya tidak ergonomik

Sementara itu, Pakar Perubatan Kesihatan Masyarakat, Fakulti Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh berkata, berada dalam kenderaan terlalu lama akan mengurangkan masa individu untuk bergerak aktif.

Menurut Dr Sharifa, keadaan ini boleh dikaitkan dengan masalah lain seperti darah tinggi, obesiti, kencing manis dan masalah jantung seperti meningkatkan sikap agresif (aggression), merasa gemuruh dan sakit jantung akibat tertekan.

“Selain itu, ia mampu meningkatkan alahan, kesukaran bernafas, kurang masa tidur malah ada yang mengaitkan dengan kematian awal,” katanya.

Tambahnya, mereka yang terperangkap dalam kesesakan jalan raya yang teruk boleh merasai gejala seperti sakit kepala, lenguh di kawasan leher dan pinggang, sakit kaki, pening dan rasa mual.

Kesesakan jalan raya juga meningkatkan pencemaran udara yang menyebabkan darah mereka yang menghidap penyakit jantung, darah tinggi, kencing manis, barah dan sebagainya terdedah kepada bahan pencemaran berkenaan.

“Secara tidak langsung, ia meningkatkan risiko salur darah menjadi sempit, sakit dada (angina), serangan jantung, kesukaran bernafas, risiko karsinogenesis (risiko menjadi barah) terutama barah paru-paru,” katanya Dr Sharifa.

Perkenal Waktu Kerja Fleksibel

Waktu kerja fleksibel dilihat sebagai adalah antara inisiatif berkesan yang boleh dipertimbangkan untuk mengurangkan kesesakan dan meningkatkan produktiviti kerja menurut Dr Ismaniza.

“Minggu kerja fleksi yang menawarkan pilihan hari bekerja seperti yang diamalkan di banyak negara maju atau bekerja dari rumah juga adalah alternatif yang boleh meningkatkan produktiviti kerja kerana kurang risiko terperangkap dalam kesesakan,” jelasnya.

Walau bagaimanapun, Dr Ismaniza berkata mekanisme itu tidak dapat dimanfaatkan oleh pekerjaan tertentu seperti guru yang tiada pilihan untuk keluar bekerja dan juga pengguna jalan raya yang menghantar anak ke sekolah.

Naik Taraf Kualiti Perkhidmatan Awam

Bagi Dr Ismaniza, menaik taraf kualiti perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam sedia ada dengan jaringan laluan yang lebih ekstensif adalah antara usaha yang sewajarnya dilaksanakan.

Jelas beliau, jadual perjalanan sesebuah pengangkutan awam itu perlu efisien, agar tidak jadi seperti lari dari mulut harimau, masuk ke mulut buaya.

Jika pengangkutan awam lebih teratur dan berkualiti, pasti lebih ramai pekerja di sekitar Lembah Klang tiada masalah untuk menggunakan pengangkutan awam untuk ke tempat kerja meskipun memiliki kereta sendiri.

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia unveils the 2022 Jaguar F-PACE – the SUV sports a slick new exterior and sophisticated yet plush interior features.

Jaguar’s luxury performance sports utility vehicle (SUV) has been refreshed, combining high-performance with style and functionality.

Exterior

The F-PACE now features a more sculpted bonnet as well as a super-slim, all-LED quad headlights, which give the F-PACE an even bolder appearance. The new headlight design is 10mm slimmer than before and features Jaguar’s ‘Double J’ Daytime Running Light (DRL), providing greater visual width to enhance its stance.

At the rear, the new tailgate also accentuates the visual width of the vehicle, and the new all-LED rear lights with sculpted lenses are inspired by the fully electric I-PACE and feature Jaguar’s chicane graphic, showcasing the modernity of the overall design.

Interior

On the inside, the new cockpit design is bolder and features a greater focus on the driver. The interior also now feels more spacious, thanks to the contrasting use of colour where the interior is in one tone to enhance the sense of space.

The new Drive Selector epitomises Jaguar’s approach to contemporary controls. The soft upper trim wraps around the ‘palm grip’ and proudly features a ‘cricket-ball’ stitch, inspired by iconic British craftsmanship. Below, the precision-engineered metal cradle is sculpted for added tactility and an engaging quality feel.

The five-seater cabin features not only well-crafted leather upholstery but also practicality, courtesy of its 40:20:40 configuration that allows each seat to be folded completely or individually to accommodate occupants and bulky belongings. 

Infotainment system

To complement the practicality of the SUV, the 2022 Jaguar F-PACE has a centrally mounted intuitive 11.4-inch curved-glass HD touchscreen that operates the new Pivi Pro infotainment system, which provides greater clarity than ever before. 

The intuitive system allows the driver to carry out 90% of common tasks within two taps from the home screen thanks to its simplified menu structure. Engineered around a smartphone-like interface, it features an intuitive touchscreen that allows drivers to go directly to what is needed.

The infotainment system can now wirelessly connect to smartphones for occupants to experience the convenience of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Wireless device charging is also available for seamless connectivity. 

Active Road Noise Cancellation technology

The F-PACE now comes with an in-built segment-first Active Road Noise Cancellation technology which monitors and eliminates external noises. The technology constantly monitors vibrations from the road surface and calculates the opposite phase sound wave needed to remove the noise heard by occupants. This means quieter noise levels within the cabin and improved refinement that helps to reduce fatigue, commonly associated with prolonged exposure to low-frequency sound. 

Driving modes

Further adding to its usability is the integrated Jaguar Drive Control technology, which features Comfort, Eco, Rain-Ice-Snow, and Dynamic modes that can be selected manually to meet various road conditions. In tandem, the Configurable Dynamics onboard enables the selection of engine response, gearbox shift points, and steering to suit personal preference. 

Driver Assistance Systems

Driver assistance technologies in the 2022 F-PACE include:

Driver condition monitor
Emergency braking
Lane keep assist
Cruise control and speed limiter.

Engine

The new Jaguar F-PACE comes only in the 250PS R-Dynamic variant. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder 250PS Ingenium petrol engine produces 365Nm of torque, delivering acceleration from zero to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds.

Price and availability

Priced from RM598,800 (with 10% SST and excluding Road Tax, Registration and Insurance), the Jaguar F-PACE was well received and fully booked at the pre-launch phase. With the launch of the SUV, it is now available for order once again.