Paths to nowhere? We have so few green spaces around our urban areas; yet there are always people who want to pour concrete and paving into the few spaces we do have.
This is just an example from the little green space at Farquhar Street in front of City Bayview Hotel. Look at all these winding concrete paths going in circles and leading nowhere. Do you see anyone using them most of the time?
In the past, they had these ridiculous shells placed all over the green in the name of ‘beautification’. Thank goodness they got rid of them – only for these concrete paths to materialise. Why couldn’t they just leave it as a lovely little green with a some shrubs and flowers and a few trees?
This is a reflection of our own mentality of pouring concrete and tar all over the place. Remember many houses once used to have little lawns? Well, many of us have even poured concrete all over our little gardens at home. Even the lawns and green lungs at places of worship have not been spared.
This is the same mentality responsible for the mess created in the past at the Penang Botanic Garden, the skating rink etc at the Youth Park, and now the kiosks and paving at the Taiping Lake Garden and futsal pitches in green spaces (when we could have football fields). Let’s not even ask what’s happened to the KL Lake Garden. Think of all the green spaces around you and at popular beaches where useless concrete structures, often turning into white elephants, have cropped up. Of course, in all these cases there is the added motivation of ‘contracts for the boys’!
So what hope do our hills and forests have from the onslaught of ‘development’ projects?
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tuakee, thks, please send it to DAP government, maybe the Penang’s Institute, for them to study and consider and learn the knowhow, etc from other people.
To improve Penang, the people need to play a part.
Actually, concrete pavements and walkways are very important, if put in the correct locations. There is no need for this small green pocket to have so many paths going to nowhere. On the other hand, many parts of Pg, including major roads like Green Lane and Macalister Rd require pedestrian walkways so that pedestrians don’t have to walk with traffic coming from the front and back. It is a safety requirement and a means of promoting walking and public transport use. Maybe MPPP should consider saving money by not laying unnecessary pavements and instead lay them where they are so… Read more »
Absolutely. Couldn’t agree more.
To be fair, the MPPP has put in quite a few pedestrian pavements along busy thoroughfares. But a lot more needs to be done.
Yes I have noticed many. What is being done to Gottlieb Rd is excellent. My frustration is that although these are very cheap, simple projects that will have a large impact on the quality of life of everyone, they are not being prioritised while funding is being channeled into mega-projects which run into the billions like ring roads, tunnels etc. If just 10% of that is poured into basic facilities and some greening projects, Pg’s liveability would increase tremendously. Best part is it can be achieved in such a short time and benefits felt almost immediately.
Yes, exactly, it is all a question of what we prioritise.
Dear Kevin and Anil,
Please make it known to MPPP.
Till today the Kelawai Road in front of Paragon is still undone, the road condition is so bad. And, Kelawai Road is one of the major main roads in Penang island !!!
Comes this 6th of August, it will be 2 months since i sent in my complaint.
Am going to write to MPPP again on the 6th of August , if still there is no action taken by Hunza Land to mend the road .
Penang can learn from Xiamen how cleaner and greener landscaping (fyi many of penangites’ ancestors are from xiamen area)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wqNae8QuOk&w=400
Kee, if you write often enough to the MPPP you will find to no surprise that it is being staffed by a bunch of incompetent people, some of which carry with them fancy professional titles like Ar. and Ir. I don’t like to generalise but that is the impression I get. If they were indeed doing their job, they wouldn’t need you or me to tell them or report formally about the condition of roads. They personally ply these routes everyday, maybe multiple times a day. It all boils down to diligence and attentiveness in whatever we do. They obviously… Read more »
Hi everyone,
It is sickening to see the ‘ugly’ concrete-paved paths in front City Bayview!
Is that piece of land under private or public authority? If public land, then MPPP should better sense than to have such a path. Let that piece of land be with a proper grass lawn with shrubs, etc, and just have an unobtrusive environment-friendly path to facilitate movements, but not the path that goes to nowhere!!
I love concrete!
I love “development”!
I love my Swiss bank account!
LGE must be your legendary hero !!!
Actually no need to waste time or money to engage consultants.
Just benchmark and learn from the best practices in Singapore in this aspect of urban town planning with greenery.
All this concrete starts with this M… Kutty Mahathir when Gerakan/Umno ran supreme in Penang and do as they like.
Many of Penang Island roads side greens were patched up with “M” tiles ( MAHATHIR TILES ) because (someone) owns a factory (or have shares). Likewise I presume this was done to almost whole of Malaysia.
This M ex PM … should be the 1st to be investigated when Pakatan Rakyat takes GE 13.
Again Vote Pakatan Rakyat And Save Malaysia For Our Future Generation !!!!!