It came as a surprise to me to read that the government of Malacca is still considering the aerorail project and expressing hope that the transport ministry will approve the proposed project.

I personally hope that the transport ministry does not approve the project. The aerorail design is quite unsuitable for Malacca and it would conflict with Malacca's recently approved Unesco heritage status.

What is worse is that it appears that this special town which has a special place in Malaysian history and in the hearts of Malaysians, will be sold off to private interests.

Melaka is littered with enough abandoned monuments to private speculation. The abandoned buildings at the centre of Melaka Raya and off Jalan Gajah Berang are hardly impressive.

If the chief minister and the government want to show their interest in improving Malacca, they would invest in realistic, effective public transport projects that would move locals and tourists efficiently and comfortably, and revive some of the abandoned projects to make Melaka much more appealing and livable.

Reduction to much of the traffic congestion in Malacca could be easily achieved. For example, a flyover in the Mahkota area would reduce traffic congestion along Jalan Merdeka and Jalan Melaka Raya.

Better public transportation could be achieved by re-organising the bus system and using Rapid Transit buses or rapid trams along major roads.

Finally, more residential and mixed-use projects in the Melaka Raya and Jalan Hang Tuah areas would reduce the number of cars and increase demand for public transportation.

Projects like these would be more effective at reducing congestion and improving the movement of tourists, and help the lifestyle of Malaccans as well. The benefits would be very high and the costs would be quite low.

Unfortunately, it seems that Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam is interested in turning Malacca into an oversized theme park accompanied by what appears to be an oversized theme-park ride.

Despite claims, the aerorail is not going to be a realistic public transport solution for Malacca and the benefits will not be worth the cost of construction.