Road And Transportation In Penang Island
The State of Penang in northwest Malaysia is comprised of Penang Island and Seberang Perai on Peninsular Malaysia. Economic growth in Penang is growing rapidly with 3 main connections from the mainland to the island which is by ferry, first and second Penang Bridge. Every year, traffic congestion is increasing in Penang. This is because most of the workers in this island from mainland and border of Penang such as Kedah and Perak come to work in this state every day. Besides that, Penang as most of us may already know, is one of Malaysia’s most popular destinations for travelers coming from the local or the international communities. One of the main reasons for Penang to have so many travelers coming and going out annually is partly because there are a lot of interesting places to visit in Penang.
Traffic jam occurs when movement of vehicles is hampered at a particular place for some reasons over a certain period of time. If the number of vehicles plying on a street or road is increased than the maximum capacity it is build to sustain, it results in traffic jams. Traffic jam or traffic congestion is an everyday affair in the cities like Georgetown. It is the result of a growing population and the increase in the use of personal, public as well as commercial transport vehicles. The congestion mostly occurs on the main roads during peak hours when people commute to work or on their way back home. The Industrial development in the recent years has only added to the problem of a traffic jam by increasing number of on road transport vehicles.
Traffic jams increasing in Penang especially the major roads including Jalan Burma, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Jalan Jelutong and Jalan Masjid Negeri are common although the population is small. Outside the city, jams are found even in Bayan Lepas and Telok Kumbar. Although the Jelutong Express Way had provided some relief to Jalan Jelutong and Jalan Masjid Negeri, but it is still less helpful in reducing congestion on the other roads. As we known, The Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE) is the only north-south expressway in Penang Island. Based on a traffic study, LCE is experiencing peak-hour congestion due to high traffic volume. Traffic condition is expected to worsen (heavier congestion and slower travel speed) if intervention measures are not implemented. The State Government takes cognisance that prolonged severe traffic congestion will hamper the long-term growth, productivity and liveability of Penang.
The Penang state government has been announced an ambitious project to alleviate traffic congestion on the Penang island, which will be undertaken through a 10.5km-long tunnel that will cut through hills and is part of the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1). PIL1 Highway is a proposed highway across the light of Penang Island from north to south. It is one of the two components of the Penang Transport Master Plan. The main purpose of the PIL is to alleviate the heavy traffic load on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE) and to address increasing congestion expected on the southern and central parts of Penang Island. It covers a distance of 19.5km. The northern end of the highway is at Gurney Drive while the southern end is at the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE). In between, there are four interchanges, at Jalan Utama (km 2.0), Paya Terubong (km 9.2), Relau (km 13.3) and Jalan Tun Dr Awang (km 17.0).
PIL1 also addresses the strategic importance of traffic dispersal from the newly opened Second Penang Bridge and the future undersea tunnel. It will be able to accommodate a potential increase in travel demands from the enlarged Penang International Airport, expansion of the Bayan Lepas industrial zone, and the proposed reclaimed islands in the Southern Coast of Penang Island and it will be a toll-free highway.
PIL1 will be a dual three-lane purpose built a highway with limited points of access to ensure certainty in speed and travel time over the entire length of the highway. The alignment along the mountainous terrain also avoids the possibility of congestions caused by future developments. The proposed highway will be built beyond the developed periphery of George Town, to disperse traffic away from it rather than force traffic to converge in the extended parts of the city.
The PIL1 would not only allow better traffic dispersal but also improve accessibility to various areas along the north-south corridor of Penang Island. Upon completion, it will be able to significantly shorten north-south travel time to only 15 minutes from Gurney Drive to the airport, favourably compared with the current 45 minutes required under normal traffic conditions on the LCE. This project will be a challenging task, as apart from the 10.5km tunnel, it would also cut through several hill slopes. Amongst the hill slopes involved are Bukit Bendera, Paya Terubong and Sungai Ara.
PIL1 is currently one of the most debated infrastructure projects in Penang. A group of concerned Penangites have started an online petition to call for the cancellation of the project while there is also an opposing petition that calls for the approval and implementation of the PIL 1. After doing some research based on the article, netizen feedback and complaint, I want PIL 1 to be cancelled. This is because, we can see too many disadvantges from advantages.
One of my reasons is PIL 1 highway will cut through hills for the 4 tunnels. Soil scientist Dr Kam Suan Pheng explains that the PIL highway tunnels will cut through three faults (crack) lines in the granite sub-surface. One of the fault lines is near the Kek Lok Si temple and Air Itam Dam. Our Air Itam dam is an earth dam, not a concrete dam. If the soil is weak and if water bursts out from the dam, imagine the disaster this can bring to the inhabitants nearby. Nobody wants his homeland to be destroyed by this type of occurrence. Nobody even wants to live in the fear of losing his life when this strikes. It can strike suddenly and unexpectedly both during construction and after completion.
Second reason is PIL 1 is not a good and long-term solution to free traffic congestion. Somehow the highway and definitely the interchange and its feeder roads will be congested. Furthermore, it takes time from years to years to complete the tunnels and an elevated highway, and eventually, we are back to jam. We should spend this huge sum of money in RM8 billions wisely by implementing a better option. This is because our nation is in the very tight budget now, by undertaking thorough research and referring to transport plans successfully implemented by other countries. An integrated public transport system consisting of the bus and modern electric tram should be looked at. It’s not only cheaper, but it also’s greener for the environment and it can be implemented immediately and a large section of the society including both the rich and poor, people of all ages, people who don’t have a car can benefit from it. Its benefit, if well planned, can be long-lasting. Besides, it is very cost effective and therefore a great saving to the nation. The government should look into this option and study the implementation of it before building tunnels and elevated highways like PIL 1.
Next, we need to think about the cost after the PIL 1 is built, we will still have to incur high maintenance costs even though in years to come, it is no longer solving the traffic congestion problem effectively. On the other hand, if we fail to maintain it, what happened in Italy recently where their elevated highway collapsed due to lack of maintenance and lives sacrificed may also happen here.
PIL 1 will damage the environment which is irreversible, the hills, the rivers and the landscape of our beautiful Penang Island. We need to think of lives that may be sacrificed due to hills slides, landslides, underground water flow movement and floods. If PIL 1 is built, Some 226 homes, shops, temples, shrines and minor structures may have to make way for the proposed highway that will serve motorists from Gurney Drive to the airport with interchanges in Jalan Utama, Paya Terubong, Relau and Bayan Baru. Most of these property owners do not know their buildings have been earmarked for acquisition for the PIL 1. The situation could not be avoided owing to the alignment but stressed that it would take steps to mitigate the impact.In addition, a Penang Forum member said the proposed PIL 1 highway would only help to solve Penang's traffic woes for five to six years and traffic jams would once again be a problem by 2030. It also did not take into account the ramifications of climate change, wherein short bursts of rainfall can nowadays lead to flash floods. The project’s impact on the environment and that it might trigger more soil erosion during construction.
In conclusion, there are several other alternative other than PIL1 such as adding public transport such as Light Railway Train (LRT) which can reduce the number of the private vehicle in this island. LRT construction cost becomes cheaper in the range of RM5 million compared to RM8 billion for PIL1, so why we want to risk the loss of human lives, loss of homelands, loss of nature’s beauty, loss of humanity and community basic need, loss of green environment, and waste money on PIL 1 which is not effective as a long-term solution. We need to implement a greener, cheaper, faster, safer and effective option in our country.
