TWO senior leaders in Penang want the state government to do more to cope with the escalating congestion following reports from the police that more than 2.2 million vehicles are expected to enter the island due to the festival school holidays.
Penang Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Musa Sheikh Fadhir said that before the mega projects such as the Mutiara light rail transit (LRT) is ready, the state needs to find alternative ways to mitigate the congestion.
It is pointless to preach about dispersing traffic when the present situation is crippling to the road users, especially the residents, said Musa.
"To wait for the LRT is a long while. We must discuss things now and not differ it to later."
He said that the state must possess the political will to enact changes to ensure that the worsening congestion is resolved.
Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the 2.2 million figure was based on the trend of the previous major festive season, coupled with the organisation of the Penang Festival from December 6 to January 10, 2026.
"The Royal Malaysian Police expects two million vehicles per week to use major highways nationwide during the peak festive season, including routes to Penang.
"The trend of the 2025 major festive season shows that Penang usually receives around 2.2 million vehicles entering or crossing via the first or second bridges in Penang," he was cited as saying.
Meanwhile, former PKR deputy secretary - secretary S. Raveentharan urged the state to consider adopting a park and ride concept in tourist areas.
With the additional reclaimed landbank coming onstream in Tanjong Tokong, Raveentharan said that the state can consider allowing Rapid Penang service to provide regular shuttle buses to tourist areas.
They can park at the park and ride areas - while the state negotiate with the respective developers to lease the barren land as car parking areas.
But the car park service operators must not profiteer and charge reasonable rates, he added.
"We can also save costs for tourists. And they can spend more time in our attractions instead of being stuck in our notorious congestion," said Raveentharan.
He said that the state must also deploy the local authorities and the police to speed up traffic at bottlenecks while also relook at how the traffic system is functioning here. – December 24, 2025
