Exchange TRX yang baru dibuka di Kuala Lumpur menghadapi tentangan awam berhubung kadar tempat letak kereta yang banyak pihak anggap terlalu tinggi. Pada hari biasa, kos tempat letak untuk jam pertama ialah RM5, dengan setiap jam seterusnya menambah RM4. Kos keseluruhan untuk dua jam ialah RM9, dan selepas jam 5 petang, kadar tetap sebanyak RM10 dikenakan, dengan had maksimum RM30 setiap hari. Kadar hujung minggu sedikit lebih rendah pada RM3 untuk jam pertama dan RM3 untuk jam seterusnya.
Perbandingan dengan tempat lain di Kuala Lumpur menunjukkan perbezaan yang ketara. Pavilion KL mengecas RM3 untuk jam pertama dan jam seterusnya pada hari biasa dan hujung minggu. Starhill Gallery KL menawarkan RM5 untuk tiga jam pertama pada hari biasa dan RM10 untuk lapan jam pertama pada hujung minggu. Malah Le Meridien KL, sebuah hotel mewah, mempunyai kadar yang pelbagai, termasuk RM5 untuk tetamu yang tinggal di sana, RM10 untuk peserta acara, dan RM10 untuk tiga jam pertama dengan RM11 untuk jam seterusnya bagi pelanggan yang datang untuk makan di restoran hotel.
The Exchange TRX, a recently inaugurated shopping haven in Kuala Lumpur, is facing public backlash due to what many deem as exorbitant parking rates. The outcry has intensified, especially during weekdays, where the parking fees at Exchange TRX surpass those of other prominent malls, hotels, and even hospitals in the Malaysian capital.
On weekdays, the first hour of parking at Exchange TRX costs RM5, with each subsequent hour demanding an additional RM4. The accumulated cost of parking for two hours reaches a staggering RM9, a figure that has left many visitors astonished. After 5 pm, a flat rate of RM10 is imposed, with a maximum daily cap set at RM30. Weekend rates at Exchange TRX are marginally more palatable, with the first hour priced at RM3 and each subsequent hour also set at RM3.
Waze, the popular GPS guidance app, has announced a new initiative at Kuala Lumpur’s Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) which will help drivers find their way around the 70-acre site. The initiative sees the installation Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices – called Waze Beacons – across TRX’s basement roads leading to carparks in the development which will have 30 buildings.
Under the 70-acre TRX site will be many roads leading in and out of the basement carparks.
The collaboration between Waze and TRX City Sdn Bhd is the first program of its type in Southeast Asia. It will make use of Bluetooth connectivity underground and provide seamless navigation to drivers where there is limited or no GPS signal reception. This will help ensure better location services, increased driver safety, and better visibility of real-time traffic events while driving underground in TRX.
“We are thrilled to partner with Waze, to be the first in Southeast Asia to put Waze Beacons to the test. Our underground roads are an ideal test ground as they lead out to key exits, and we look forward to enhancing TRX’s level of services. Ensuring seamless connectivity is critical to support TRX’s status as an international financial hub.” said Dato’ Azmar Talib, CEO of TRX City.
“The Waze Beacons Program will help realise the TRX masterplan of making the district the best-connected address in Kuala Lumpur. The development will have direct access to major highways such as the SMART Tunnel, Maju Expressway (MEX) and the future Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway (SPE), as well as connections to Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail via many ingress and egress points,” Dato’ Azmar added.
The Waze Beacons, installed and owned by TRX City, do not collect data and work by emitting a signal that can aid navigation apps (not only Waze), making it easier for drivers to navigate underground areas with multiple exits and roundabouts during periods of poor connection, and prevent traffic confusion and congestion. The signals are available for use by all developers looking to make it easier and safer to get around TRX. These installations will also serve as a pilot-scale project for other parts of Kuala Lumpur.
Waze’s collaboration with TRX has seen these devices installed across TRX’s Basements 2 and 3 which have up to 3 and 21 decision points, respectively, leading out to parking spaces, and various connecting roads and highways.
Waze Beacons are small units installed in the walls and send out signals using Bluetooth connectivity.
With Waze Beacons emitting signals, route guidance will still be available even when there is no GPS signal underground.
Waze Beacons was launched in 2016 and has successfully been introduced in the USA, Brazil, France, Italy, Australia, Norway, and Czech Republic. In total, they are found in roughly 260 kms of tunnels and roadways worldwide.
“The Waze team and I are pleased to bring the Waze Beacons Program to Malaysia, the first Southeast Asian country to adopt the technology,” said Gil Disatnik, Head of the Waze Beacons Program. “Seamless navigation can be enjoyed in TRX when its underground roads are open to the public, but this is just the beginning and we hope to expand into more areas nationwide across Malaysia soon. No matter the navigation apps used, Waze Beacons technology is open and free to use, and we ultimately hope to empower road users to outsmart traffic together.”
