THE Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), which proposes new highways and public transportation modes like the light rail transit (LRT), is arguably the most hotly debated project in Penang.

While civil societies and environmental groups are up in arms against the ambitious multi-billion-ringgit plan to build highways and a network of rail systems, business and industrial players are lauding the plan.

The PTMP plan proposes new highways, bypasses, an undersea tunnel, a LRT (light rail transit) system, monorails, trams, bus rapid transit (BRT) and a sky cab between the island and the mainland.

Penang Chinese Chambers of Commerce president Hong Yeam Wah said the business community have been waiting for many years for the projects to materialise.

“These projects should have been implemented earlier to address the worsening traffic jams, especially on Penang island,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“They will improve our traffic conditions. Other cities like Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere have also built new highways and urban rail systems.”

The state’s economy is heavily reliant on the manufacturing and services sectors. Areas like industrial zones, popular commercial and tourist hot spots and densely populated neighbourhoods often face heavy road congestion.

However, civil groups like Penang Forum, an umbrella of civil societies in the state, and the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) have argued that building more roads won’t solve the traffic congestion in the long term.

They have called for the entire RM46 billion PTMP to be scrapped and for the state government to draw up a new plan with the input of civil societies.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) economics lecturer Abdul Rais Abdul Latiff said easing congestion on Penang island would also help economic activities, on top of benefitting the local construction industry.

However, he said several projects under the PTMP will have great environmental and social impact on those directly affected by the construction of the projects.

“There will be economic growth and revenue for the construction industry. But at the same time, the projects will have impact on the environment and existing residential communities,” he said, citing the much-opposed Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1) highway as an example.

“Building PIL1, for example, will involve relocating people. That leads to costs and social impact.”  

The proposed PIL1 alignment has four tunnel sections measuring 10.1km going through the hills in Bukit Bendera, Paya Terubong and Sg Ara.

The 19.5km highway will also pass through some established communities, such as Paya Terubong, requiring the state to acquire land and relocate some locals.

Rais admitted that the question of whether or not mega-projects should proceed or not is “very complex”.

However, he urged the state government to consider improving the existing public transportation system to make it more efficient, instead of merely pushing through massive development projects.

“Penang is a small state. If we use up the space to build mega-projects, we will affect the environment. We need development, but it has to be sustainable.”

USM transportation lecturer Associate Professor Ahmad Hilmy Abdul Hamid also expressed concerns that certain parts of the PIL1 would run close to the state’s Air Itam dam on a hill.

“There will have to be a lot guarantees on safety measures before they start building. Our record (at construction sites) is not so good,” said Hilmy.

Too great a cost

Asked if Penang’s economy would greatly suffer without the projects, Rais and Hilmy both said there are several other ways to ease congestion so that traffic problems do not affect businesses that badly.

Hilmy proposed making the current bus system more efficient for commuters, like office workers while Rais said not proceeding with the projects won’t impede Penang’s development.

Rais said despite the state’s traffic problems, Penang’s tourism sector had continued to grow because of its natural attractions, food, and heritage.

“There is also concern that tourism may be affected if we continue to develop while disregarding environmental issues,” he said.

USM’s Housing, Building and Planning School lecturer Abdul Ghapar Othman said doing nothing about the traffic issue would put Penang island in a gridlock, as its population and high-rise homes continued to grow.

However, the way to solve the long-standing traffic problem, he said, is good public transport.

“Our traffic jam problem now is still not as bad as some places with populations of more than five million. But if we don’t take the right step now, we will face a gridlock,” said Ghapar.

“If everyone in Penang owns a car, building more roads will not solve the problem.” – April 25, 2019.