Word has it the trees along Green Lane close to the Udini Road roundabout could come down on Monday at 9.00pm or in the days after.
Will they remove the trees at night, under the cover of darkness, so that fewer Penangites can see their shameful deed?
We need to make our views against the removal of trees clearly heard to put a stop to any further inclination to remove trees along other roads in the name of ‘road widening’. If we remain silent, expect more trees to be sacrificed in future in the name of ‘road widening’.
In this era of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, we need to stop pandering to car owners as they are ruining our quality of life and the environment and increasing congestion. The present model of road-widening prioritises the needs of motorists, ignores the needs of bicycle users, reduces space for pedestrian walkways and sacrifices trees.
Any political party that wants our votes in the coming general election must make a clear and unequivocal pledge to improve public transport, introduce real bicycle lanes all over Penang (as opposed to the farce of drawing white bicycles on the outer edges of the roads, which in itself is dangerous as it encourages cyclists to share the same space with motorists) and other states, and promote sustainable transport options.
We need to raise the profile of the public transport agenda so that all political parties sit up and take notice. Say no to more highways, tunnels (for cars) and other mega projects that promote car usage. Say yes to public transport and sustainable transport options.
The BN politicians capitalising on this issue are shameless and hypocritical. Demand that they ask their bosses in Putrajaya to relinquish control over public transport and hand it over to state/local jurisdiction so that real improvements can be made to serve the public interest instead of protecting vested interests (car manufacturers, toll concessionaires, petrol stations).
Write your messages to the MPPP, Penang state government, the BN politicians and their bosses in Putrajaya in the comments below.
Save the trees along Green Lane before it is too late.
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Well,….Super Senior ( 7/12/12)….I have done it….going out with my girlfriend by bus from 1987-1990 & we are still together today.
Q: MPPP, how do you relocate 15-20 (plus) feet tall trees with roots & soil & worms? And plant them straight to survive for the long haul? And don’t forget, December is rainy season with nowadays strong wind & sudden torrential rainfall & more so near the coast (Jalan Udini is not in the middle of Belum rainforest!). I have seen landscaping companies planting young trees of less than 8 feet tall & less than 4 inch thick trunk for new housing estates with some difficulty of 100% success. The biggest tree is palm tree of no more than 10… Read more »
MPPP, I am against the cutting down of the trees! Improve public transport instead.
Let’s face the hard fact. Until and unless public transportation is at the levels in Brazil or closer home, Singapore, trees will have to inevitably make way for road expansion. Nonetheless, I laud the MPPP initiatives to relocate the healthy trees to other equally needy locations.
Anil, can we organise ‘hugging trees’ on Monday night?
All Penangite die-hard cyclists can also do their part: bring along camps, ponchos & bicycles to park around ‘sentenced trees’ on that night till Tuesday morning. Alsatian dogs (if you have) are also welcomed.
Lets brew & drink Kopi-O kau kau while loving & hugging our beloved trees all night long!
I’m an ‘Ordinary True Blue Penangite’ … Met LGE at his B’day Dinner Just a few hrs ago – Asked him abt The Trees … He sez only a few ‘Dead Ones’ … Lets Give LGE the Benefit of the Doubt ….
CAP just organised a couple of tree hugging protest in the last two weeks. Let do it and don’t complain it is too late.
If Pakatan can vouch for CHANGE, then lead Penangites to CHANGE mindset about traveling by buses. Just like no plastic bags. No point believing in CHANGE just for shiok-shiok for whom? but not walk the talk in this case. It baffles me that on the one hand the state gomen can’t do much about public transportation (being the prerogative of Feds, hands are tied), it is pursuing the same path to more traffic problems by widening the roads. Then what is Jelutong Expressway for? which original purpose was to channel some traffic away from Jalan Udini to the city. Can… Read more »
I wonder how many people here, including Anil, spend a little time and do a brief mathematics on public transport service logistics? Here is some real life estimation : A bus route pass through 10 residential area with total 5000 families. All families working hours say from 7am-9am. If each family with 1.5 working person (e.g. some wife may stay at home) , 5k x 1.5 = 7500. So how is your “efficient public transport” will cope? If everyone take the bus from 6:00am ~ 9am , 7500/3 hrs = 2500 person/hour. Since Bolehland(TM) buses max will take 70 person… Read more »
After reading these comments, I am convinced that most Penangites do not care about the environment
It does look that quite a few prefer their cars to trees. Sad, really.
That is not so sad compare to those who prefer lgE to all those trees. So how you want to fight back? Come out in full force on Monday or Monday’s night? Go to see lgE and picket at Komtar? Or kou pa kou bo (cry dady, cry mummy) here?
probably the voice of online comments might not be as loud as appearing at the site with the message. perhaps a ‘public occasion’ at the green lane tree line would help?today is friday, trees removal on monday. clock is tickling.
To me, One Of The Best Solution is to have a RELIABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT all over Penang/Butterworth. If we have a Class One Public Transport many including me will use them instead of driving a car. Less cars on the road, result in less jam, &+++ positve more than cons. And you Malaysians must realise by now that the current CLOWNS AT PUTRAJAYA are 100% not reliable let alone solve our jamming problems as long as the contract are given to cronies. In this do or die GE13, all Rakyat must join hands and let Pakatan takeover Putrajaya then at… Read more »
good public trasnportation is not a priority for BN (priority is to sell more Protons) and Pakatan (to lower price of cars). We will see more cars on the road.
But the true sad fact is young people nowadays (never mid car debt) want to own cars. A young guy without a car will have trouble finding a girlfriend. Can you imagine they go dating on Rapid Penang bus?
Nothing wrong with travelling on a bus – if the bus service and supporting infrastructure are upgraded.
If state gomen wants to follow the footsteps of Cosmopolitan SingLand for Cosmopolitan Penang, what is so “phai seh” dating on the buses?
SingKahPoh Lang see it as nothing unusually un-class given a choice of efficient public transport.
Otherwise, cosmopolitan idealism is as bad as coast-mud-politan of Gurney Drive.
Met LGE , B’day Dinner : Asked abt Trees – Sez ‘Only a Few = ‘Dead Ones’ – I Trust Him to do the Right Thing … Do You ?
Even you success to save the trees their home, no more road widening, so what?
Will they build you a functioning public transport?, make public transport business as attractive as Lynas, or AES, that helps.
Road not widen due to congestion and you complain. Road widen for less congestion but need to chop down trees and you complain.
What do you expect the govt to do.
The PR LGE govt is doing a good job reducing congestion and replanting of trees after it has been chop off.
If you widen the road, more cars will fill it up before long. Then what? Do we remove the houses next so that we can widen the road even more?
The real problem is too many cars on the road as no good public transportation and low take-up rate of public transportation (Penangites becoming ‘high class’ and wish to drive to show their status?). The current narrow road is bulit for old days when only ethe elite can own cars and drive. If you want to accommodate more drivers on the road, the trees have to be sacrificed to make way. do not get me wrong. I like those trees. But it is not practical anymore as everyone do not need the shades as they could drive in comfort in… Read more »
Replanting tree? How fast can your tree grow? Seem like I need to roll out my fast growing paulownia trees. Let plant it as a sign pf protest with a beautiful and fast growing trees.