There are no two ways about it. The planned introduction of the light rail transit (LRT) project will only worsen traffic congestion on Penang island.
Presently, the first Penang bridge accommodates about 10,000 cars per direction per hour, giving rise to a substantial volume of traffic entering the island daily. This equates to approximately 30,000 cars over a three-hour peak period every morning.
These figures, based on an actual traffic count conducted last month, highlight a significant issue. With more than 100,000 cars crossing over daily, the island’s roads are fast turning into massive car parks, as evident on the bridge and roads adjacent to it.
The narrow roads and lanes of Penang can no longer cope, and there are not enough parking spaces to accommodate these cars. A continuous search for parking is in itself another source of congestion.
A redundant LRT
Most of these vehicles come from Seberang Perai and southern Kedah, with drivers heading to work on the island, especially to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and Bayan Baru.
The bridge is currently dominated by cars, underscoring a reliance on private vehicles for the commute between the mainland and Penang island.
While the upcoming Mutiara Line will connect the Penang International Airport to Komtar, it will not reduce the number of cars plying Penang’s first bridge. That means traffic on this first bridge will continue to rise, unaffected by the new LRT system.
It also means that the number of cars on the island’s roads is also set to soar, and will likely result in gridlocks forming below the planned elevated LRT structures and stations.
The island’s roads will remain congested, dominated by private cars and motorcycles due to a lack of alternative public transportation between Seberang Perai and the island.
High volume of cars
The LRT is only planned to serve areas within the island and does not address the first Penang bridge – a high-demand corridor from where the bulk of the island’s traffic originates.
The planned LRT line doesn’t cater to commuters traveling from Seberang Perai Tengah to Penang island, a critical oversight, and will not alleviate congestion on the bridge, and with it the root of the problem: the high volume of cars coming from the mainland.
Even with the LRT in place, commuters from Seberang Perai and southern Kedah will not have any incentive to abandon their cars, and will continue to drive in as they do now.
The high traffic volume is in fact a boon to the toll concession company operating the bridge, meaning it would have no incentive to work towards reducing the number of vehicles crossing over.
On top of that, the Penang state government is planning an undersea tunnel – from Bagan Ajam – that will further increase road traffic from North Seberang Perai to Gurney Drive (Tanjung Tokong), exacerbating the congestion problem.
The tunnel is in fact another short-sighted project that will attract even more vehicles onto the island, rather than offering a public transportation solution.
Any solution in sight?
At present, neither the tunnel nor the LRT offers a solution to the problems to which I have alluded.
One possible solution would be to convert at least one lane of the first Penang bridge and some of the major road arteries on the island into a dedicated bus (or bus rapid transit – BRT) route for public transport.
This simple but effective conversion will allow buses to travel quickly, efficiently, in high frequency, and at high capacity.
It is also likely to make the journey via public transport quicker than travel by private car: another important point that must be understood by those planning to eliminate road congestion.
Similarly, the tunnel should be designed to prioritise rail-based or mass transport rather than private vehicles.
Such a change would encourage the use of public transport over private cars.
All these measures, implemented with the right dose of political will, would help reduce the volume of private vehicles entering the island, easing pressure on Penang’s road infrastructure in the immediate term.
The LRT running on Penang island on its own will not solve Penang’s road congestion problems. Complementary measures must be put in place via an integrated approach to resolving the perennial traffic woes of Penangites.
In any case, it will probably take another ten years for the LRT to be up and running. How will they cope in the meantime? - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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