THE is no question that Penang, a state with 1.8 million people but 2.8 million vehicles – 95% of which are private cars and motorcycles –  needs much better public transport.

Private cars outnumber the population by 51%. There are 1.7 million active vehicles on the road, or one vehicle for every person, while public transport has only a modal share of 3% in Penang

These numbers have led to suffocating traffic congestion (and parking nightmares), especially during rush hour, on the island, where economic and social activities are concentrated.

Most private car owners in Penang scorned the use of Rapid Penang buses, even though they are the most comprehensive public transport system in the state.

Some were excited to hear about the Penang government’s plan to build a mixed rail system of LRT, monorail, and tram (and many more highways) in 2015, following the version of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) proposed by the Gamuda-led SRS consortium.

The PTMP deviates from the 2013 Penang Transport Blueprint presented by transport consultant Halcrow. The PTMP costs RM46 billion, compared to the blueprint’s RM10 billion, and most damagingly, its projects are to be financed by the reclamation of land on the southern coast of Penang island.

Eight years later, after much political change, the federal government agreed to take over the plan and fund the RM10.5 billion construction of the LRT Mutiara line from the man-made Silicon Island to Komtar in George Town.

Extension lines to Tanjung Bungah, Ayer Itam, and, crucially, Seberang Perai were eventually announced.

Some were overjoyed at the news that the hurdles had been cleared and that the plan would finally see the light of day. Funding for the project had been decoupled from the controversial land reclamation (although this does not stop the SRS consortium from reclaiming Silicon Island).

Certainly, RM10.5 billion will not be enough to build the LRT network. Most people will not care if it is the federal government’s money .

Most motorists will be delighted at the prospect of smoother road trafiic when the Mutiara LRT line is completed in 2030.

But why wait until 2030 for the LRT and suffer worsening traffic congestion in the interim, and why pay so much for the LRT when the autonomous rail rapid transit (ART) and bus rapid transit (BRT) can do the job and are much cheaper to build and operate? ART costs one-tenth of the cost to build the LRT, and the BRT can run at half the operational costs of the LRT.

Can the government justify the LRT project and provide evidence to show that the LRT is the most cost-effective and superior choice and best suited to Penang’s demographics? Otherwise, why do the state and federal governments insist on the LRT?

Perhaps it is a lack of imagination on the part of the people, who perceive the MRT, LRT, and monorail systems of the Klang Valley to be the better, more advanced public transport choices.

Or perhaps it is driven by the industry, which has a vested interest in replicating what it has built in the Klang Valley.

Putrajaya, Kuching, and even Johor Baru are experimenting with the ART as a public transport solution so it may not be entirely true that the public is unaware of other rail options; they are even involved in their testing and planning.

For public transport to be successful and provide a good user experience, connectivity is vital, especially in the first and last mile.

Given that taxpayers’ money is a finite resource, people should be concerned about whether their money is well spent.

For RM10.5 billion, Penang would only be able to build one line of the Mutiara LRT, but if we follow the Halcrow Transport Masterplan, in just a few years, we could have multiple lines of a modern tram network connecting several high-demand key corridors.

Public transport needs proper and thorough planning. Individual projects should not patched on as an afterthought.

The Klang Valley rail network of the 1990s and 2000s is a case study in what not to do in for integration, adaptation, and connectivity. – May 20, 2024.

* Lim Chee Han is a founding member of Agora Society and a policy researcher. He holds a PhD in infection biology from Hannover Medical School, Germany, and an MSc in immunology and BSc in biotechnology from Imperial College London. Health and socioeconomic policies are his concerns. He believes a nation can advance significantly if policymaking and research are taken seriously.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.