From Andrew Lee
I refer to the article Penang’s traffic mess self-inflicted, say activists, and the chief minister’s defence for an underpass project at the Mount Erskine-Bagan Jermal junction.
It is true that proper roads are needed to meet modern needs, as is the case of Mount Erskine Road, where things have not changed for ages. However, does the traffic volume justify building an underpass?
As traffic consultant Wan Agyl Wan Hassan mentioned in the former article, there is a lack of smart or optimised traffic lights around the whole of Penang.
For this to work, traffic lights on roads leading into the business district should be primed for green for a longer stretch than for traffic going in the opposite direction during rush hour, usually 7am to 8am.
With the static-time traffic lights we have now, commuters are often forced to wait through a cycle even when there is barely any traffic in the opposite direction, resulting in a huge waste of traffic capacity.
Then there is the question of how pedestrian safety can be assured if there is an underpass at the Mount Erskine junction, given its close proximity to the St Nicholas Home for the Blind. Even now, with traffic lights in place, it is unsafe for pedestrians to cross.
As Penang Forum member Khoo Salma Nasution pointed out, can the state government give an assurance that real estate developers are not the ones causing a mess for it to fix?
There already are high-rise residential buildings in Mount Erskine, Relau, Sungai Ara, and Sungai Tiram as well as upcoming ones at Bandar Baru Air Itam and Paya Terubong. It will put a strain on roads built only to serve lower population densities.
Ironically, there are no plans for access to public transport in these new developments. Instead, as pointed out here, parked cars line both sides of the road.
Recently launched on-demand services available on the Kummute app will not solve the problem given that people are not inclined to take public transport when they know that there is congestion around the Bayan Lepas area. This leaves the Central Area Transit (CAT) buses empty.
Moreover, there are no proper bus stops in the Bayan Lepas business area. For instance, there is a stop listed for CAT and Kummute in front of Knowles Electronics but no signage or bus shelter to show where exactly it is.
To ensure no more delays nor congestion caused by more high-rise buildings, the government should first focus on unfinished projects such as the Bukit Kukus Road, which has been delayed by developers.
It should work with Rapid Penang to optimise and introduce new bus networks to nearby areas which would help to achieve the “15-minute Walkable City” vision by Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin.
The Penang government should also work with industry players such as hotels, shopping malls and factories to come up with a plan on how to get their customers/people off private vehicles and what are the benefits of doing so.
For example, to cater to the holiday crowd from Batu Ferringhi to George Town, there could be a shuttle bus service similar to the one that was offered between Jetty and Penang Hill. The state government and hotel industry can pay their share to Rapid Penang to temporarily charter a bus for this purpose.
To the state government, please optimise the current resources first before proceeding with some of the mega road projects. I do agree that some road projects are needed like the North Coastal Paired Road linking Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang, but for others, there are better alternatives.
Andrew Lee is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
