Activists from Penang’s emerging green movement gathered at the Penang Youth Park this morning to display a model of an 80-foot-wide six-lane overpass that will cross over the green haven, a popular spot for exercise and recreation.
The overpass is part of the controversial RM8bn Pan Island Link highway which critics say is the result of backward planning that will entrench the use of cars on the island, adding to more congestion. The highway will also cross over and degrade another popular park, the Sungai Ara Linear Park, run through ecologically sensitive hill-side areas and pass near places of worship, residential areas and schools.
The model displayed at the Youth Park this morning also showed the access road from Western Road/Jalan Utama at the turn-off to Jesselton, where it is feared that a string of mature trees will have to be chopped down or relocated to make way.
Speaking of a model of the overpass, the question that must be asked is, why should ordinary people have to come up with a such a model and display it themselves when that should be the responsibility of the state government or the project proponent. How else can people give property feedback when they can’t visualise what the highway overpass (and its nearby access road) would look like?
In an unrelated development, around the Christmas period, trees were quietly removed from Peel Avenue, presumably to make way for a private hospital expansion project.
The state government had sold a large plot of vacant land there to a private hospital firm instead of using it for public purposes such as genuinely affordable housing, a public park or community garden and expansion for the nearby Penang General Hospital, which is bursting at the seams.
Around the same time, a couple of trees were (re?)planted inside Fort Cornwallis area, close to a highly sensitive archaeological excavation site. This led to concerned Penangites asking if approval had been obtained for the digging and planting in the area and who exactly had given the approval.
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Malaysians are already better off without Najib and his goons at the helm. After screwing us, he blames the doom and gloom on all who are trying to balance the ship on even keel. Ocean currents and storms we have to weather but with a new Captain and the ship called Harapan, we surely will get there.
Happy New Year to all Malaysians!
Drive less, less fume.
More pollution from vehicles mean more illness, medical industry and insurance. More roads means more road maintenance, car industry, cars and jams within a few years. More urban tree cutting means more replanting contracts. All this is good for “development” and GDP. Ask any high priest of economics if you don’t believe this.
Should consider designing parks for older adults, as our population is ageing?
Hortpark Singapore is only one prong in Singapore’s Action Plan for Successful Aging, an ambitious $3 billion plan to better the lives of the elderly in urban spaces.
https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2016/11/garden-hort-park-singapore-elderly/506303/
3b sing translate 9b ringgit. Peng lang will become pokkai lo.
My friend forwarded me this video on Hortpark:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bEcyLc0-dIE
Young people never go to park. They prefer virtual world in cyberspace. So must take care more the elderly folks with parks convenient to them in terms of amenities and facilities.
Should Penang be held back without any development for the sake of people whom love the island but just don’t want to see changes. Does these people don’t see the needs for our future generation. Must the future of our children be kept at bay because the present forks are selfish in giving way to changes. Change is something we have to accept in life. Those people that shout and scream of their love for Penang with striking play cards by the road side, are actually the ones destroying the island. By first destroying the economy and the island will… Read more »
If no new road, then those living along the exiting road will breathe higher concentrated smog. Life span become shorter. New road dilute the concentration
simple, hold your breath, don’t breathe…..
More simpler. If drive, don’t use this highway. Detour and don’t contribute further smog.