Khoo Kay Peng
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced a four-part major road proposal last night, his supporters heaved a big sigh of relief.
He said the state executive council has decided to award a company the tender to construct four major traffic roads in Penang.
He did not name the company but it is known that the massive undertaking, costing a whopping RM8 billion will begin in 2015.
"If we had control, we would want the best. But in this case, even if we had our own money, we cannot do it. What do we do then? We have proposed four major road projects for the most congested roads," he said.
The four proposed projects involves the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu expressway, 4.6km Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass (four-lanes), 6.5km Penang-Butterworth Tunnel and a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang (four lanes).
"Since the federal government does not want to give us public transport, we will built alternative roads.
"If we had control, we would want the best. But in this case, even if we had our own money, we cannot do it. What do we do then? We have proposed four major road projects for the most congested roads," he said.
The four proposed projects involves the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu expressway, 4.6km Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass (four-lanes), 6.5km Penang-Butterworth Tunnel and a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang (four lanes).
On the island's on-going traffic woes, Lim lamented that Penang has no control over public transport as it comes under the federal administration.
There are several issues that must be addressed before the Penang State Government embarks on the projects:
1. Where is the funding coming from? How can the state government justify spending RM8 billion to build 4 major expressways to solve traffic problem in Penang?
2. Are more lands going to be swapped to pay for the construction? It is best for the state government to provide us with full details of the deal. This project is dubbed as the most ambitious and expensive road project in Penang and transparency is sorely required here.
3. Did the state government conduct a peak analysis/assessment on these areas? If peak use lasts only 1-2 hours a day, the new lanes will not be utilized for the rest of the day. Does it justify spending so much money on the 4 mega projects worth RM8 billion?
4. Analyses pointed that building more highways only provide temporary or short term congestion relief and will cause other kinds of traffic and travel problems. In short, wider highways induce more traffic. Those new users ultimately have to exit the highway somewhere, producing more traffic on secondary roads where expansion is not possible. The Penang-Butterworth tunnel is a good example. More cars are going to take the tunnel to reach Gurney Drive. It is going to cause parking challenge to the area and congestion on secondary roads leading to Bagan Jermal, Pulau Tikus, Mount Erskine and Tanjong Tokong.
5. Lim Guan Eng uses the justification of inaction from the federal government to provide better public transport to Penang to build the highways does not represent a prudent policy decision. It surely does not take the state government RM8 billion to offer better intra-state public buses/mini buses. During the administration of the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a number of routes were supported by MPPP buses. Politically, it would be a suicide for the BN federal government to stop the state from running its own public transport. Lim's argument is rather simplistic and unconvincing.
The state government, supported by its newly assembled think-tank Penang Institute, should come out with better policy interventions to help reduce congestion problem in the state e.g. levy a tax on crowded routes, enforcing car-pooling, better distribution of traffic, provide better public transport, promoting flexible working hours, building new commercial networks around the state rather than crowding out a few commercial and industrial hubs etc.
Building more highways and adding new lines are not going to solve congestion problem in the long run. It is just a temporary relief on parts where new lines are added but will soon create problems at other parts of the city.
Since the Pakatan coalition is confident of capturing Putrajaya in the next 13 GE, will Lim Guan Eng stops the highway projects if his coalition wins power? Lim administration should not award the project until after the 13GE and after a proper study of the issue. I am sure any responsible government, using the same justification, would do the same.
I would like to urge Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow to help convince the federal government to work with the Penang state government to expand public bus routes in the state and to add more buses to serve both Penang island and Seberang Perai.
Political contestation should not cause unnecessary hardship to the people. Politicians should manage the size of their ego.
He said the state executive council has decided to award a company the tender to construct four major traffic roads in Penang.
He did not name the company but it is known that the massive undertaking, costing a whopping RM8 billion will begin in 2015.
"If we had control, we would want the best. But in this case, even if we had our own money, we cannot do it. What do we do then? We have proposed four major road projects for the most congested roads," he said.
The four proposed projects involves the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu expressway, 4.6km Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass (four-lanes), 6.5km Penang-Butterworth Tunnel and a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang (four lanes).
"Since the federal government does not want to give us public transport, we will built alternative roads.
"If we had control, we would want the best. But in this case, even if we had our own money, we cannot do it. What do we do then? We have proposed four major road projects for the most congested roads," he said.
The four proposed projects involves the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu expressway, 4.6km Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass (four-lanes), 6.5km Penang-Butterworth Tunnel and a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang (four lanes).
On the island's on-going traffic woes, Lim lamented that Penang has no control over public transport as it comes under the federal administration.
There are several issues that must be addressed before the Penang State Government embarks on the projects:
1. Where is the funding coming from? How can the state government justify spending RM8 billion to build 4 major expressways to solve traffic problem in Penang?
2. Are more lands going to be swapped to pay for the construction? It is best for the state government to provide us with full details of the deal. This project is dubbed as the most ambitious and expensive road project in Penang and transparency is sorely required here.
3. Did the state government conduct a peak analysis/assessment on these areas? If peak use lasts only 1-2 hours a day, the new lanes will not be utilized for the rest of the day. Does it justify spending so much money on the 4 mega projects worth RM8 billion?
4. Analyses pointed that building more highways only provide temporary or short term congestion relief and will cause other kinds of traffic and travel problems. In short, wider highways induce more traffic. Those new users ultimately have to exit the highway somewhere, producing more traffic on secondary roads where expansion is not possible. The Penang-Butterworth tunnel is a good example. More cars are going to take the tunnel to reach Gurney Drive. It is going to cause parking challenge to the area and congestion on secondary roads leading to Bagan Jermal, Pulau Tikus, Mount Erskine and Tanjong Tokong.
5. Lim Guan Eng uses the justification of inaction from the federal government to provide better public transport to Penang to build the highways does not represent a prudent policy decision. It surely does not take the state government RM8 billion to offer better intra-state public buses/mini buses. During the administration of the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a number of routes were supported by MPPP buses. Politically, it would be a suicide for the BN federal government to stop the state from running its own public transport. Lim's argument is rather simplistic and unconvincing.
The state government, supported by its newly assembled think-tank Penang Institute, should come out with better policy interventions to help reduce congestion problem in the state e.g. levy a tax on crowded routes, enforcing car-pooling, better distribution of traffic, provide better public transport, promoting flexible working hours, building new commercial networks around the state rather than crowding out a few commercial and industrial hubs etc.
Building more highways and adding new lines are not going to solve congestion problem in the long run. It is just a temporary relief on parts where new lines are added but will soon create problems at other parts of the city.
Since the Pakatan coalition is confident of capturing Putrajaya in the next 13 GE, will Lim Guan Eng stops the highway projects if his coalition wins power? Lim administration should not award the project until after the 13GE and after a proper study of the issue. I am sure any responsible government, using the same justification, would do the same.
I would like to urge Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow to help convince the federal government to work with the Penang state government to expand public bus routes in the state and to add more buses to serve both Penang island and Seberang Perai.
Political contestation should not cause unnecessary hardship to the people. Politicians should manage the size of their ego.
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