HEATED discussions are expected in Penang this weekend as the vocal civil society group, Penang Forum, holds multilingual forums over two days to explain and garner opposition to the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).

It will question, tear apart and propose alternatives to the plan, which involves the controversial Pan Island Link 1 that will bore through the island’s hills.

Penang Forum has been the PTMP’s most vocal critic and is holding its first session in Malay and English at Dewan Sri Pinang on Saturday and another in Chinese at the Penang Teochew Association on Sunday.

The Malaysian Insight takes a look at the issue ahead of the forum.

What’s the PTMP?

It is a comprehensive integrated plan commissioned by the state government to alleviate Penang’s worsening traffic congestion problem using highways, roads and public transportation.

Roadworks involve the Pan Island Link (PIL), Penang Undersea Tunnel and three major roads on the island, as well as upgrades to roads on the mainland.

Land public transport proposals involve a light rail transit (LRT) from Komtar to Bayan Lepas and another linking the island and the mainland; monorails covering Ayer Itam, Tanjung Tokong, Raja Uda and Bukit Mertajam (on the mainland); trams, and Rapid Transit buses.

There is also a proposed cable car (sky cab) project linking the island and the soon to be completed Penang Sentral transport hub.

Who are the players?

The PIL highway and public transport components are undertaken by project delivery partner SRS Consortium, which is headed by Gamuda Bhd, one of Malaysia’s biggest infrastructure companies.

The tunnel and three major roads are undertaken by Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, Chinese construction giant China Railway Construction Corporation is also involved in the tunnel.

Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) is behind the sky cab project.

How is it funded?

The PIL highway and public transport components undertaken by SRS will be funded by the Penang South Reclamation project. Three man-made islands will be reclaimed off the southern coast of Penang island, and then auctioned off to pay for the projects. The state government is also seeking a RM1 billion soft loan from Putrajaya.

The undersea tunnel and three roads by Zenith are funded by land swap deals involving reclaimed land in Tanjung Tokong and Persiaran Gurney.

What’s the progress so far?

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) have been approved for the three roads to be built by Zenith – Tanjung Bungah-Teluk Bahang bypass (Package 1), Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway-Ayer Itam by-pass (Package 2), and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway-Persiaran Gurney by-pass (Package 3)

Zenith reportedly hopes to start work on Package 2 in the first or second quarter of 2019.

For the undersea tunnel, feasibility studies are about 97% ready.

The PIL highway is still undergoing public assessment for its EIA with September 7 the deadline for all feedback. The highway’s design and alignment are still subject to changes.

The LRT from Komtar to Bayan Lepas, which is about 30km in length with 27 stations, is still pending federal approval. The nod for the LRT also hinges on its EIA approval and the approval for reclamation projects.

Who’s raising objections and why?

Penang Forum, a loose coalition of public interest civil society groups based in Penang; Consumers Association of Penang; several residents associations and other individuals.

They want the PTMP reviewed, and the PIL and LRT projects scrapped as mega-road projects will only increase the number of vehicles.

Instead, they want the state government to return to an original plan for the PTMP prepared by UK-based engineering consultant Halcrow, which emphasised strategies to reduce private vehicle activity and promoted better use of existing road and transport networks.

These would have included upgrading existing bus services or tram services instead of building LRT or monorail lines. To help traffic between the mainland and island, Halcrow recommended improving ferry services and introducing other water transport links between George Town and the south and north of the mainland.

The groups also say open tender was not used in selecting SRS and want to see the request for proposal document that gave the contract to the consortium.

Detailed objections to PIL and LRT

Besides the high cost of these projects, the groups are also protesting against the projects’ environmental impact on Penang island, not only from tunnel blasting, debris and noise pollution, but also from disruptions to the landscape.

PIL which will connect Persiaran Gurney in the north and the second Penang Bridge in the south will cost RM7.5 billion for a 19.5km and six-lane highway.

About 70% of the highway will be tunnels dug through Penang Hill and the hills in Paya Terubong and Sg Ara. One part of the highway also involves 250m cable-stayed bridge over the popular Youth Park.

“The imminent PIL1 will impact two public parks, 10 schools, 10 houses of worship, several cemeteries and columbaria, two hospitals and many residences, many within 100m of the six-lane 80ft wide highway,” Khoo Salma Nasution of Penang Forum said on Facebook recently.

LRT critic Roger Teoh, a PhD postgraduate student at the Imperial College London’s Centre for Transport Studies, also questioned SRS’s forecast annual ridership of 42 million for the LRT in its first year of operation.

“So how is it possible for the Penang LRT to have an annual passenger journey per person much higher than most MRT lines in London, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur when it is also not expected to have any interchange station with other rail links during its first year of operations?”

Teoh, in an article last month, also warned that if the LRT failed to meet its projected ridership, the state government would be forced to bail out the project.

The state government’s response

The administration has so far not entertained calls to review the PTMP or scrap PIL1 or the LRT.

It continues to argue that the PTMP and reclamation projects are necessary to sustain Penang’s economic future.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has been mostly diplomatic towards objections, thanking critics for their feedback but lashed out twice slamming the groups for using “inaccurate visuals and descriptions to provoke unnecessary negative sentiments among the general public”.

The groups have also accused Chow of “changing his principles”, reminding him that he had opposed an earlier mega-project by the previous Barisan Nasional government to build the Penang Outer Ring Road when he was an opposition MP in 2002.

The war of words continued with Chow saying critics had run out of capital.

Chow also said he is still waiting for Putrajaya’s reply to a letter he sent the prime minister requesting the soft loan for the PIL and public transport components. – August 22, 2018.