We support the idea of a transport master plan for Penang that is truly environmentally friendly and financially viable. We reject the SRS and Penang state’s proposal for prioritising road building ahead of public transport. We want the state to adopt a Better, Cheaper, Faster Penang Transport Master Plan using BRT and trams as the preferred mode of public transport.
Introduction
Under the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) the people of Penang have been presented with the SRS proposal and the Zenith BUCG plan that will change our lives in a big way. The Penang state government’s ‘Big Bang’ approach combining seven different modes of transportation (roads, LRT, monorail, tram, Bus Rapid Transit/feeder buses, cable cars and water transportation) costing RM46bn will be only partially funded by reclaiming more than 4,000 acres of land. These proposals will not solve Penang’s traffic and transport problems.
These proposals have major shortcomings and ignore a number of measures required for a ‘holistic approach to resolving transportation issues’.
- They lack vision and are trapped in an old paradigm. They are still car-centric and massive highway construction will only encourage greater use of private vehicles, undermining any proposed public transport system;
- They are based on questionable population and ridership projections which could lead Penang into major financial difficulties.
- They propose too many poorly integrated public modes of transport which are 2-3 times more expensive to build and 2-3 times more to operate and maintain annually than the trams and BRT recommended by Halcrow;
- There is a lack of transparency around the whole project and there are potential conflicts of interest from the Project Delivery Partner structure.
The alternative plan we propose adopts a holistic-incremental approach to addressing Penang’s mobility and transport problems, taking into account the limited resources of the state. Based on the principle of ‘moving people, not cars’ the alternative plan prioritises good public transport system over road building and adopts the modern tram and BRT based public transport system recommend by Halcrow. The alternative plan is:
- Better because it is more accessible for all; has a smaller footprint and is friendlier to the environment; is quieter and produces less vibrations; is flexible and much easier to expand in the future;
- Cheaper at half the price to build, and therefore cheaper to expand in the future, and two to three times cheaper to operate and maintain;
- Faster as a modern tram and BRT system is twice as fast to construct and can be built on the island and the mainland at the same time. A system built twice as fast means half the disruption to daily life and no need to wait until 2030 for SRS to get round to completing their proposal.
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Has Penang Forum settle ‘the misunderstanding’ with Penang Chinese Chambers of Commerce (PCCC) Heritage and Tourism division head Michael Geh who has claimed that he was not informed about the masterplan although he is also a member of the Penang Transport Council (PTC)?
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/348479
It is an NGO blueprint. Details are on the bettercheaperfaster.my website for all Penang Transport Council to see. Unlike the SRS proposal which is hidden from the public.
If people in Malaysia continue to prefer owning and driving cars, then public transportation will never work. Has Penang Forum thought of changing the mindset?
Yes, we are trying to, but we need your help as well to convince others too.
private citizen can do little but federal can do most with min of info. but gomen promote nat cars.
Start off with halcrow’s plan.if it is a ramp and elevated structure all the way, why halcrow wants to put a tram? It is much cheaper and flexible to put a bus instead. Turn it into a brt. Unless someone can come out with very good reason halcrow also no difference from SRC to con people they produce to superb report.
Ms. Khoo Salma, Anil Netto and Lim Mah Hui have been sharing the petition with all their powerful friends in the urban planning group and all their friends, and I am sure that lots and lots of people who live on the Island are voting for this so called “cheaper,better,faster” plan that does nothing about UPGRADING island connectivity with the mainland from it’s current pathetic state. At the same time providing NO DETAILS of transport route maps for the mainland or how a slow tram system will cover the vast area of mainland while providing a fast travelling time to… Read more »
done
I AM for it all the way Dr Dominic