K-Hell Sentral

KL Sentral is a commercial development site mixed with a transport hub.  Stops include the KL Monorail, LRT (Kelana Jaya Line), the KTM routes, and the KLIA Ekspres/ Transit (also known as ERL).  The station opened in 2001 as a growing Transit Orientated Development (TOD).  So, 22 years on, has it been successful?  That depends what the question is.   References are certainly made to it being 'successful' - perhaps from the point of view of the developer?

Let's not forget that it is touted as Malaysia's prime transport hub.  So, does it prioritise transit, connectivity, accessibility, or is it more of a parasitic development - simply exploiting everyone's need to get around?  Perhaps it is somewhere in between. 

A central station - understanding the purpose

There is no shortage of central transport hubs around the world which provide efficient connections between transport modes and a gateway to the city.  Being car-centric, KL Sentral's planners refused to heed these examples and went ahead and built an island surrounded by cars, prioritising cars.  

Accessibility principles can be boiled down to some fairly straightforward concepts, such as prioritising walking/ wheeling routes routes and creating a pleasant environment.  This last part shouldn't be underestimated.  If someone is coming into KL, this will be their introduction to the city.  When they step out of the station door, what is their experience of the public realm?

To start with, there are the ramps.  So many ramps, so confusing.  Someone has mapped these - see image below.  Ramps like these are direct anti-people measures.  They support car traffic and discourage people.  

The station is surrounded by ramps for cars (image courtesy of LCCT)

If this wasn't enough, any intuitive routes for pedestrians (or those with bicycles) have been littered with anti-people features - railings, roads, yet more ramps.

                       

Pro-car ramps and anti-people barriers deployed around the station.

Gateway to the city (or at least Brickfields)

People enjoy navigating on foot by using a viewpoint, looking around, and walking in the direction they want to go.  The planning team's design should be providing opportunities for that.  Not to build a maze.  While some of the connections between LRT or KTM are straightforward, others, such as the route to Muzium MRT, are maze-like and simply do not provide good connectivity. 

When you find your way outside, if you've used a 'main entrance' you will end up in a pick-up area.  This is not meant for pedestrians, and you probably won't get very far without a car.

Two of the main entrances/ exits at KL Sentral.  Unless you're in a car, there's nowhere really to go.

Some people try, and they end up crossing busy roads with no pedestrian facilities or walking down the side of a car ramp.

Who planned this??

In theory, KL Sentral is conveniently located for Brickfields.  But again, the planners had other ideas. One of their favourite tricks is to prioritise a multi-lane one-way road - if you find yourself needing to cross it, there are barriers too.  Most people are forced to take the longer route using the overhead bridge, leaving car drivers free to rule the street.

An exit from KL Sentral onto Jalan Tun Sambanthan - pro-car barriers deployed

If you manage to make it across the street, the next hurdle will be narrow paths, motorbikes, and inconsiderate parking.  

If you do find a pedestrian crossing point, it has probably been blocked by a Mercedes driver.

Venturing further, on what could be a pleasant walk to historic Brickfields and the River of Life, you may find a neglected path and an abandoned building under the monorail.  There is a half-hearted sign prohibiting passing through.   Welcome to Kuala Lumpur.  Welcome to Malaysia. 

  

Another pedestrian crossing blocked by - you guessed it - a Mercedes driver.

This is a huge missed-opportunity to integrate KL Sentral with the surrounding area and take on a gateway position.  The technical solutions are relatively cheap and easy, too.  Pedestrian crossings, clear paths, welcoming signs and good public realm design in general.

Internal layout

A central station will have many people moving around inside so usually needs a 'great hall' to allow this to happen.  Such a hall should have a focus and a clear sense of orientation, instantly providing a sense of place and direction. 

KL Sentral manages to be dull and lack a clear orientation so that visitors are left wondering if they're walking in the right direction.  The various transport entrances are randomly littered around, awkwardly split over two levels (other stations around the world, notably in China, make good use of split levels). 

Maps of KL's Sentral's two levels - messy?

Some principles for making large places easy to navigate:

• Enforce a sense of level - what level am I on?  Am I on the ground? Is it easy to tell?
• Provide landmarks and unmistakable references for easy orientation
• Use open spaces and long sightlines to encourage navigational visibility
• Reduce clutter and distractions (like electronic billboards).

A low ceiling blocking the view up the stairs/ escalators. Where does it go?  The advertisement boards are much bigger than the wayfinding signs.

More low ceilings over random corridors

A key principle of a transport hub is that it should be intuitive - after all, it's supposed to cater for thousands (millions?) of newcomers each year, not just locals who get used to the layout.  Exiting to street level should be simple and convenient, and intuitive.  KL Sentral's split-level design ignores this principle and makes it hard to exit to 'street level'.  Yes, there are pedestrian connections to channel consumers towards shops, which would be fine, if the primary objective of connecting people to destinations freely had been taken care of first. 

One good thing is that there is a free local bus service - GoKL - available from the station.  Again it's not very intuitive to find - you may need to follow signs for taxis to get to the bus stop.  There are the usual complaints about inconsiderate drivers, crowded busses etc. but at least there is a bus. 

For long distance buses, you have to make your way down to the 'bus dungeon' below the station. 

This is a dark, unwelcoming corridor that could have been so much better.  This is also probably the best walking route to Little India although it's still pretty unpleasant and not sign-posted.

Bicycles and bike parking

When asked if there is any bicycle parking at KL Sentral, the attendant at the information desk just gave an amused chuckle and said "no" - not surprising in KL really.  There was some bicycle parking at NuSentral (terrible design) but it has been taken over by motobikers.

Wrapping up

There are plenty of other things that could be improved too, such as wayfinding, KTM ticketing, and bringing back the airport check-in facility, but those are better left for another time.

As to whether the station is a success, perhaps a clue can be taken from the developer's website:

"The Kuala Lumpur Sentral masterplan features a self-contained city concept comprising corporate office towers and business suites, international hotels, luxurious condominiums, a shopping mall and an international exhibition, convention and entertainment centre."

This single paragraph reveals two things:

(1) that the real priority is to extract money from the development, leveraging people's need to get around, and

(2) the self-contained city concept is not meant to be well integrated with the local area - in fact it is meant to trap you within the development.  

So perhaps it is a success on its own terms - good for the developers, at least.

Plenty of towns and cities around the world have planned and built good central stations, so it can be done.  The principles of good architecture, access and connectivity apply globally, with small adjustments that should be made to suit the local context (e.g. ventilation, shade). 

While ideally the station's accessibility needs a complete re-think, there are plenty of modifications that can be done to improve KL Sentral's general offering especially for those on foot or bicycle.  

• Prioritise clear, visible pedestrian routes out to the surrounding area
• Provide easy cycling routes into the station from multiple directions
• Provide good-quality, convenient and secure bike parking at the station
• De-clutter, improve wayfinding, and re-decorate with some orientating features at the right scale.