Today, several Penang-based bloggers and websites simultaneously launched a “Penangites for Trams” campaign.
We hope more bloggers and webmasters – especially all those who care for Penang – will join in the campaign by placing these graphics on their blogs or websites. You may link the graphic to the URL for this post or choose to link to any other article or post about trams. Leave a comment here and you will then be added to the list below of blogs/websites supporting the campaign.
This will help to raise awareness of the viability of trams. Of course, trams work best as part of an integrated public transport system, complementing an efficient and extensive network of buses and other forms of eco-friendly transport.
The latest issue of business weekly The Edge carries a full-page article in support of the re-introduction of trams in Penang.
But one major caveat: Any proposal to bring back trams must be based on the soundest financial feasibility study, with room for possible cost overruns provided. The over-riding concern is that the project should not be a drain on public resources.
So far, these are the bloggers and websites that support the re-introduction of trams in Penang:
- Mustafa K Anuar
- Susan Loone
- Mucked in a Jam
- Penang Watch
- Kris Khaira
- Surind
- Anything Goes
- LAH-mour
- No Kacau and Don’t Kacau
- Stephen Doss
- Contemporary Malaysia
- Black and White (Justin Choo)
- The Kuala Lumpur Traveller
- Forest Explorers
- Apprize
- News for Malaysians
- Wartawan Rasmi Laman Reformasi
- DanielYKL
- Lucia Lai
- I am a Malaysian
- Carol and Jeffrey’s Big View of the World
- Lestari Heritage Network
- Motivation in Motion
- World Messenger
- Brand Bounce
- Sources of Life
- Maaran Matters
- Messy Christian
- Sivin Kit’s Garden
- u-jean
- Fair is what fair wants
- BalikPulau.org
- Sally Knits
- Accidental Blogger
- The Freak
- The Stray World
- Rainstormz
- The Dreamkid Lair
- pbsiew
- Binding Love
- Everything under the Malaysian Sun
- Strategic Analysis and Thoughts
- Justice4otk
- Ecowarriorz
- Teohyj
- prashant’s trashpan
- anilnetto.com
I am penangist. I support 100% on briing back the TRAM in penang.
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I’m sure that i’m going vote for BN on the next GE, not because i support the idea of corruptions or anything. DAP cant bring development to PG, i want pg to be an international city but they are doing now is keep boycotting everything. want to build this cannot that cannot. and the NGOs sucks.whats the point? i’m planning to move down to KL soon. PG is hopeless.. nuff said
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TRAMS for what? trams is good for tourist attraction only.. and with current state of traffic congestion in PG i dun think trams an bring any good.. we have to make way for the trams, this might create more traffic jams in the island. what kind of stupid idea is this?
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@kumar, it’s better than using the bus that full with non-malaysian =S So, you want to PG to be an international city but, u said “trams is good for tourist attraction only”.. So confusing la buddy, think before you speak out =D when we can attract an outsider, PG will be unique with the trams, so, the popularity of penang will be higher. Am I right my dear friend..?
yess, keep voting for BN, who cares =D
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Just for the record, I am all for trams as well.
For quite some time, I had been taking the buses throughout Penang. And being a resident of Balik Pulau, I have always considered the AVAILABILITY of buses to be something to be thankful for rather than the PUNCTUALITY of the service.
What other means of protests can a student who hasn’t even reached the eligible voter age make than voicing his opinion? Then accepting the fact that some adults happen to be a bunch of liars and hypocrites.
From the various media accessible to me, I have come out with one simple plan:
Hire a renowned expert on public transportation, and place him or her firmly in charge of the project. That means without interruptions and other excuses which would otherwise permanently delay the project.
I fail to understand how anyone can be fixated on only the single issue of trams without considering that trams can be employed alongside other forms of public transport such as buses (which must remain to ply the Balik Pulau routes, among others), and taxis (where the State Government really should start being more bold and impose fines on drivers blatantly flouting licensing rules) which no one local uses anyway.
Perhaps an enforcement of “public transport only” zones or by charging fees for entering a zone being plied by trams, buses, and/or taxis would go a long way in solving traffic woes.
In essence, transforming certain zones of Penang into pedestrian-friendly cities.
That means further considerations of shade trees, bicycle stands, etc.
The government must also start a major campaign in favour of public transport, such as emphasising how the cost of ownership for cars and motorcycles is already quite high, when one includes the cost for fuel and maintenance, compared with a sustainable public transportation system.
So allow me to conclude by saying, the variables involved in the creation of a sustainable public transportation system are much too complex to be simply dismissed out of hand with statements such as “they have no practical use”, or “they are dangerous” or “they will worsen traffic congestions”.
Going back to my original solution, we should:
Bring in an expert, let him or her analyse the problem, let him or her suggest a solution, putting that expert in charge of the project, then SUPPORTING that expert in whatever decision he or she makes.
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Yes, is about time tram be brought back to Penang. It will definitely blend in very well…
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I always wondered why they dug up the old tram lines without any intention to reintroduce the tram. Traffic in Penang is getting out of hand. Parking prices astronomical. Trams are also safer than a subterranean transport system especially with the current crime rates.
If we close part of Georgetown(or severely restrict vehicle entry) and install peripheral carparks so people can park and ride (ala nottingham and melbourne) this would significantly improve the congestion.
I love the idea of trams in Penang. Let’s do it!
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I also want to see trams in Bangkok, KL and Singapore again
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Our contribution to the campaign:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=3581
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Tram..why not looking for another cheper method to suit the current penang infra.. malaysia own development solution..dont take oversea as a sample..we think we develop we try we used and we sale to oversea.
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Trams coming to Penang?!! Hurray!! Lets do it yeaterday!!! Its long overdue. With our World Heritage status, transport in the City MUST be improved. We can learn from many Countries. It was a pleasure to ride the Trams in Melbourne to tour the City. We need to preserve our Past Glory and bring back the Joy for our children and the elderly alike!! Its a GREAT Proposal and need our whole-hearted support.Tourists will enjoy too!! Just Do It fellas
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In the city I live in we have lots of trams and I use them every day to get to work, go shopping etc. I think it’s great. It’s comfortable, fast and cheap and good for the environment! More people should use public transportation and I thinks trams would also be great for Penang.
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i totally agreed to tram in penang. I’m so pleasure to see the internal Georgetown to be revitalize once again. beside world heritage site, i wish i can see georgetown to become one of the world most renown heritage site. lets support it…
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we need a very good public transportation like tram in Penang. The previous state government had failed to implement a good public transportation plan for the past 30 years, I hope the new government will not disappointed us.
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Before any tram can be implemented, Penang people must first learn to be civic conscious when use public roads. This refers to :
(a) parking in proper parking lots
(b) no double parking
(c) no overtaking in narrow lane
(d) disr orderly use of motor cycles
(e) speeding of motorcycles
If Penang people cannot do these, then the tram is a waste of money.
You cannot have third world (people) using first world facilities. It just creates more urban jams.
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Hi. I’m Victor Oh. I saw your campaign and would love to be included as one of the bloggers who support it.
Looking forward to getting that tram running here in Penang.
God bless.
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way 2 go! it’ll add sth unique 2 d island. looking forward 2 it.
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I’m a Penangite and utterly support this idea of this campaign. Really looking forward to step foot on the tram
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Hi, I just added and supported the call for better public transportation for the public. The gov’t shld think long term, and not wait till our cities become like Bangkok, where people spend nearly the whole day stuck in jams, and increase pollution,,..etc. When will we ever learn.
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i guess it is never too late
count me in …
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Tram is fine. But Penang Transport Authority needs to ensure that feeder bus service is there. How many corridor can the Tram Line operate? Can’t be all over Penang like the bus system right?
In Kuching,, Sarawak someone says that the CM is keen on Tram system but someone advises that “fix your poor bus passenger transport” first.
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Those who have been to Vienna or Amsterdam or Rome and various other European cities will understand the concept of trams and how efficiently it works. I am all for it also and i believe it will work in Penang (provided it covers the whole island like the MRT in Singapore).
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Tram is fine but I personally feel that it is not practical with the current road condition in Penang.
I would support the Aerobus system which was brought up some time ago.
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i agree too TRAM in penang.
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Rail services: Can Ultra Light Rail provide the third way?
Somewhere between a tram and a bus, Ultra Light Rail (ULR) has the potential to bring reliable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly public transport to towns and cities across the country. Can it realise that potential?
The concept of ULR involves using lighter weight, smaller capacity and consequently lower cost vehicles than a conventional light rail system. The size and low impact of the vehicles means that they are ideal for use in pedestrian areas, in historic town centres and even inside shopping centres or other building complexes.
The shallow-laid rails used by the vehicles (usually about 10 centimetres deep) can be moved easily and allow underground services such as water pipes and cables etc to be left in place. This represents a substantial cost saving.
The vehicles are self-powered, with electric or hybrid diesel/electric motors. Energy is stored on board by batteries or flywheels, and power can be topped up at stops. This on-board power supply obviates the need for any form of wayside power supply or overhead conductors, further reducing costs.
Studies have shown that the cost of building a ULR system is about ₤1 million per kilometre, one-tenth of the cost of a conventional light rail system. The lack of need for extensive infrastructure also means that a ULR line can be constructed in substantially less time than a conventional light rail line.
ULR is thought to be suitable for passenger flows of between 300 and 3000 passengers per hour, in each direction. Staff costs would be similar
to a bus operation, while other operating costs would be much lower than an equivalent bus system. ULR vehicles also incorporate easy access for the disabled.
There are other advantages over the traditional diesel bus system. The low rolling resistance of steel wheels on steel rails means that less energy (about 30 per cent of that required by a conventional bus) is needed to power the vehicles. This makes new sources of power, such as currently expensive ‘fuel cell’ technology, economically viable. This adds up to a low or zero-emission public transit system that is both fuel and cost efficient.
Trams are known to be far more popular with the travelling public than buses. It is reported that trams have a proven record of success in tempting people out of their cars, which buses cannot match. It has also been proven that the laying of tramlines raises property values in neighbouring areas in a way that bus routes do not.
The Bristol experience
The first ULR system to run in the UK was created by an European company, who saw the potential of ULR in the late nineties. They set up a harbourside tramway, running for just under a kilometre along the Bristol waterfront, on the rails left by the defunct harbourside railway.
The six-tonne tram, with capacity for 35 passengers, operated using a flywheel from a 70 volt DC supply picked up from a short stretch of third rail situated at two stops. The extremely popular service ran for two years and carried some 50,000 fare-paying passengers.
The operation of the line was suspended in 2000 owing to a dispute with Railtrack over land needed to extend the service into the town centre itself. Though the line was considered a great success, the company maintained that without the extended service the tramway was not economically viable. In spite of this setback, the operators were so impressed with the system that it has included ULR in its draft Local Transport Plan.
The Kalamata experience
The first completely new system using ULR principles is to be built in the Greek town of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, a seaside town and port with a population of 55,000. The Kalamata ULR system will comprise a 5 kilometre route of conventional metre-gauge tramway track, a depot; 23 stops, and eight hybrid diesel electric trams, each with 45-passenger capacity.
It is expected that with the associated civil works, to be carried out by a local contractor, the total project cost will amount to around EUR 8 million (£5 million). This represents only 10 per cent of the cost of building a conventional light rail system. The planned service will provide a tram every seven and a half to ten minutes in each direction. Maximum speed will be 50 kilometres per hour, although it is expected that speeds through Kalamata`s rather narrow streets will seldom exceed 30 kilometres per hour.
ULR makes it possible to provide a modern tram system at no greater cost than a traditional diesel bus network.
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