GEORGE TOWN – Although Penang has been attracting droves of visitors, not everyone is happy dealing with the congestion, especially at popular food outlets and tourism spots.
While tourists feast, residents here are complaining about traffic jams.
Real estate negotiator Adrian Rajamoney said the traffic congestion can be unbearable and that tourists should consider carpooling to enter certain popular areas, so the number of vehicles can be reduced within the city limits.
Fellow Penangite Bernard Lim said more efforts should be made to promote other places in Penang so tourists can be spread out to areas on the mainland, instead of just concentrated in George Town.
This has led Gerakan vice-president Datuk Baljit Singh to suggest that the state considers zoning certain areas exclusively for pedestrians.
He also took the opportunity to slam Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow after unveiling the Love Penang initiative yesterday, where he encouraged Penangites “to rebuild what was broken, and to reconstruct the hopes and dreams that may have been lost during the lockdowns”.
“We do not need to remind the state about our clogged roads, indiscriminate property development, hill-cutting, land and sea reclamations, and the need to build, build and build.”
Baljit told The Vibes that it is not enough to launch websites, slogans and apps, if the state is not sincere in improving the people’s quality of life.
“It is obvious that all of us love Penang. The question which now begs an answer is: does the state act with the conviction that it loves Penang?” – The Vibes, June 11, 2022
