GEORGE TOWN – A civil society here continues to reject both the proposed light rail transit (LRT) and Penang South Islands (PSI) projects, saying neither is suitable for the state’s current population base and may eventually end up as white elephants.
Despite Putrajaya’s commitment to helping realise the Penang government’s ambition to have an LRT system to reduce worsening congestion here, Penang Forum executive council members Lim Mah Hui and Khoo Salma Nasution are against it, predicting low ridership.
Lim, a retired banker, said studies by the civil society movement here have indicated that the LRT will see low usage due to the moderate population growth here.
The costs may not be worthwhile, Lim said in a recent interview.
The RM10 billion LRT has been held as a viable solution to Penang’s traffic woes, based on tourist arrivals and the state’s position as a popular tourist destination.
Penang Forum had previously said its studies project low ridership for the LRT, which will span some 22km from Komtar to the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas, as the state has a 1.8-million population with 60% living on the mainland.
But Putrajaya, in a push to support the project, is going to provide additional federal funds to expedite Penang’s LRT. This was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 6 during the government’s Malaysia Madani Hari Raya open house in Permatang Pauh. The said funds for Penang’s LRT would comprise federal grants and loans, he added.
To this, Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman told The Vibes there was no justification to continue with another contentious project, the reclamation of three islands or the PSI project – meant to underwrite the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan, which the LRT is part of.
After Anwar’s announcement that federal funds would be extended for Penang’s LRT project, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state would consider the prime minister’s suggestion to scale down the contentious PSI project.
However, Meenakshi said, “Whether it is one island or three islands, it would still be damaging to the environmentally sensitive areas and fish breeding grounds.”
Penang Public Transport Users Association treasurer Zulfikar Aziz has also been reported as saying that problems like Rapid Penang’s fleet, driver shortages and ageing coaches, should be solved before turning to the LRT as a solution.
“We believe that the prime minister’s announcement is not in the best interests of Penang’s public transport users as currently, there are still issues involving the degradation of bus services,” he said.
Zulfikar said more emphasis should be given to public bus services rather than opting to build more roads and the LRT.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke told a recent press conference here that the federal government wants the LRT project to be fast-tracked, and this may involve innovative ways of acquiring land and spaces to accommodate the alignment.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has said rail transport alternatives can also be replicated in Batu Kawan and Butterworth on the mainland to ease congestion.
However, Chow spoke of the need to continue with one of the three man-made islands under the PSI project, especially Island A, which is now dubbed Silicon Island. – The Vibes, May 9, 2023
