Penang Forum notes: “A special review panel was appointed by the state government to study the Special Area Plan (for the Botanic Garden). The cable car proposal was put in at the last stage and NOT presented to the public. The state review panel itself strongly objected to the cable car for various reasons of environment, usage and traffic.”
So whose idea was the cable cars and how was it quietly put in over the objections of the state review panel? This kind of reminds me of the way the tunnel and three highways were inserted into the Penang transport masterplan prepared by Halcrow.
This is the full Penang Forum statement:
It is with great concern and trepidation that Penang Forum wishes to issue a statement about the proposed cable car link announced in the press today.
The proposals are ill conceived, not properly studied and based on the whims of businessmen and fancies of politicians.
The Special Area Plan of the Botanic Gardens underwent due process, was presented to the public for feedback and NO mention of the cable car was made.
A special review panel was appointed by the state government to study the Special Area Plan. The cable car proposal was put in at the last stage and NOT presented to the public. The state review panel itself strongly objected to the cable car for various reasons of environment, usage and traffic.
Penang Forum wishes to highlight its concerns:
- Our last and largest water catchment area on the island will be threatened. The forest reserves which will be affected by the proposed cable car link are the Teluk Bahang Permanent Forest Reserve and the Bukit Kerajaan Permanent Forest Reserve.
- Our forests and trees will be threatened (although all kinds of assurances will be given). The Teluk Bahang and Batu Ferringghi hills contain the last expanse of undisturbed forests in Penang.
- The proposals will involve constructing massive concrete towers in our forests.
- The construction process includes getting to and from the towers and will involve cutting and destroying large parts of the forests. The possibility of landslides and soil erosion will arise due to the cutting of steep slopes. (Teluk Bahang hill slopes up to Western Hill and Penang Hills are very steep.)
- The proposals will involve huge pylons hanging over a great distance over hills and valleys.
- Traffic congestion is already intolerable at Botanic Garden, Jalan Utama, Bagan Jermal and Gottlieb Road, and Tanjung Bungah and Telok Bahang. To promote any proposal that would cause the situation to drastically deteriorate, while threatening the ecology of our beloved hills, demonstrates both a lack of caring for Penang as well as a lack of any sustainable vision.
- Massive bus parks and car parks will have to be constructed involving more removal of trees, more concrete hardscape and more flooding.
- Thousands of passengers will have to be transported from buses and cars to the base stations.
- Our beloved and highly used greens of the Youth Park will be invaded by tourists, buses, flyovers and bus parks and become totally polluted.
- No public input or consultation was carried out; no stakeholder meetings were held.
- Hawkers and itinerant traders will start setting up stalls all over the base stations causing more congestion and pollution.
- Previously residential areas will become untenable.
- The hills of Penang are already at maximum carrying capacity level and cannot tolerate more intrusion into its fragile ecosystem.
- This cable car plan will jeopardise the state-backed proposal for a 500ha Unesco biosphere reserve on Penang Hill, which will be fragmented by development of this scale.
The suspended cable car cannot in any way present itself as a form of public transport. Very few places in the world would seriously consider suspended cable cars as public transport. Would a Penang commuter pay possibly RM50 or more per work day?
The people of Penang are appalled today to face a revival of a determination to profit from a very fragile environmental system.
The Penang public just wants its hills preserved, guarded and cared for; we look to our state government to ensure that self-serving, profit-driven entrepreneurs take their ill-conceived plans elsewhere.
Our future and the future of our children cannot be left in the hands of exploitative businessmen.
Penang Forum steering committee
18 December 2016
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N no confidence over the govt’s ability to manage Penang hill. Just go on d jeep track today w 4×4 “taxi… https://t.co/kPAgpdZ13E
No one’s above law, Amanah says on ‘royal logging’ http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/367303 Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin must explain the claims of logging, allegedly involving the royalty, being carried out in the state, Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub said. He made the call after Pelindung Khazanah Alam Sekitar Malaysia (Peka) president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil was arrested last week for insulting the Johor sultan by posting on Facebook about logging on land belonging to the monarch. My Observation: Are royalty beyond criticism by the Rakyat in matters of environmental conservation? It doesn’t matter if it involves which state where royalty is held… Read more »
Penang people must be thankful that Nazri is trying to get federal fund for the cable car to Penang Hill. Good to have it to boost state tourism, right?
What type of cable car construction which may require more botaking of hills should be treated with caution.
No point getting exhilarated (ahead) like Ice-addicts when the environmental effects could be adversely affected.
Anyway, cable car transport ( as is Pg Hill Railway ) is under the purview of Feds, so no need to be beholden to Nazri. In fact, Nazri should be thankful to Penangites for annually contributing massively to national tax coffers, part of which goes to his fat salary!
previously you said is toking’s intitiative snd now twist to nazti. you bo hood to complain but so kind to ask him to thank pg lang?? why not ask him to build a touring tram?
Go look inside a dictionary what is the full meaning of purview…!
take a look at what you wrote. no word on “purview”. try harder…
Take a look at my above comment:
Anyway, cable car transport ( as is Pg Hill Railway ) is under the purview of Feds, so no need to be beholden to Nazri. In fact, Nazri should be thankful to Penangites for annually contributing massively to national tax coffers, part of which goes to his fat salary!
Go check you eyes…!
House Committee: Obama Fired Top Scientist Over Climate Change
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/house-committee-barack-obama-fired/2016/12/20/id/764934/?ns_mail_uid=63197065&ns_mail_job=1700722_12212016&s=al&dkt_nbr=p3ykw8xm
The Liberals drown in the seas of Money, as they are everywhere (including Malaysia’s Penang, SingLand, etc) would not care if the human race & nature will ever survive in the next millennium. The M Factor overrides all cautions, even the ones from qualified scientists, most of whom don’t do the tango with corporations.
The same M Factor addiction in gomen is already happening in Cosmopolitan Frenzied Penang under the Venerable Niao Kong.
The land swap deal for the Roads and Tunnels project didn’t work out as planned. Zenith Ewein failed to monetize the City of Dream due to stop work order. CRCC most likely is on the way to exit from the project.
AH Soon speaks out [allegedly] on behalf of TengCY who has today taped his mouth shut in protest against NiaoKong?
Look at his latest gimmick, the Rainbow Walkway. He totally ignored the carrying capacity of the walkway. How the operator going to manage the crowd? He foolishly believed that it will bring Komtar to life again.
This guy just has no brain.
The Roads and Tunnels project which he awarded to CRCC, what happened to it? The Ayer Hitam bypass is now awarded to Mudajaya.
You have brain and the engr who design has no brain? When the sky bridge across avatar mountains in zhangjiejia has put a limit to no of visitors. Mind you in China, visitors come in thousands when they visit tourist or historical places.
Taped mouth gimmick:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=i-tLtsI8JUU
Penang Forumers also need to proactively put forward suggestions for to be renovated Campbell street heritage market, otherwise if the new design not to traditionalist tastes more complaints later.
The proposed architectural design for the adjoining modern Food Street section is incongruous to the avant-garde design of the facade!
This is no resurrection of a heritage icon by adding “Olympic village” make-over to a classic!
Century-old Penang market to get RM5m facelift
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/century-old-penang-market-rm5m-facelift-041400201.html
Importantly must keep the food price affordable.
Why must only Penang forum? Is it because no one make noise or talent is not available as all migrate to singland or other countries
OK, I put forward a general suggestion – anything that is too modern not conform to Penang’s old image is totally wrong and untenable to us !
Because all we old Penangites need is time-standstil-Nostalgia, understand ?
A similar proposal was made to put cable-cars on Mt. Santubong in Sarawak. I’m wondering who the contractors are that are behind these proposals. They suddenly appear from the State Minister and are not organic because of need. My suspicion is that someone is [allegedly] being influenced by under-the-table payoffs or contracting deals to relatives or political supporters.
why in sarawak you did not report to macc or it does nothing??
A lack of caring for Penang as well as a lack of any sustainable vision – this speaks volume of Penang CAT Gomen with a mirage slogan: Cleaner & Greener Penang (My Foot!). “Cosmopolitan Penang Frenzied” should be Niao Kong’s vision for Penang, if ‘it’ still has not yet figured out loud in ‘its’ brain! “Got Swap Deal Money, Can Do Anything” seems to be the hourly mantra @ 28th Floor Komtar of The Arrogant CATs. Nazri announced the cable car plan, which CAT is not brave enough to announce so Nazri may receive the brickbats from NGOs & concerned… Read more »
and you are not brave enough to critise Nazri otherwise and his party otherwise land up like Bersih chief.
We know who is the ‘culprit’.
Why play to your… ideas?
… you bark so much about pg structure plan? now all the volumes and yet no comment on them. just play play
PTMP to be on display is not going to give the latest changes, so what the … are you talking about commenting on an incomplete, not up to date plan?
The next time you open your mouth, do take care to know what it is all about!
Try harder you want a dead document and stop in time everything utter from your mouth is rubbish with negatives. Merry Xmas to you, peace be upon you and happy new year. Otherwise your mind and heart is full of bad news, no, not , critise and opposing from north to south and east to west.