NGOs: Master Plan lacks depth
DOUBTS: Questions asked if options in the Transport Master Plan are solutions to Penang's rapid growth
GEORGE TOWN: THE Penang Transport Master Plan, which is available for public viewing till April 28, has been criticised by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) here for lacking "depth" and "thoroughness".
Representatives from the Citizens Awareness Chant group (Chant), the Tanjung Bungah Residents' Association (TBRA) and the Coalition for Good Governance Penang (CGGP) had expressed concerns that the master plan, which was presented to NGOs and the people on April 9 at a consultative forum, was not detailed enough.
They also questioned whether the master plan was drawn up based on the actual situation in the state, where many new developments like high-density residential projects were coming up rapidly, or just based on surveys and even guesses.
Chant adviser Yan Lee said such worries were because the master plan had been completed before the state Local Plan was revealed.
Without the Local Plan, which determined development matters like density and plot ratio, the master plan might not be able to accurately factor in the increasing numbers of people and vehicles in a particular area, he said.
"The Local Plan is very important but not many people understand what it is. The plan will reveal exactly what their respective neighbourhoods will look like, giving them a clear picture of what kind of developments are permitted or how high apartments can be built in their areas.
"Such details are important for a transport master plan but now that it is out first, we can only ponder on whether its options will truly be sustainable solutions to Penang's growing population of people and vehicles, following the many development projects that are coming up all over the state," he said.
Chant founding member, Dr Jimmy Lim expressed concerns that developers would try to get their projects approved and build in the maximum density while the Local Plan was still absent.
He said that would change the traffic scenario in many areas, namely in places like Sungai Ara, Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi where new projects were already being planned.
"Say if a developer starts developing more land near the Penang Turf Club, traffic along Jalan Batu Gantung and Jalan Scotland will increase," he said.
TBRA member Lee Laine said the state government should consider halting all high-density developments in Penang until the Local Plan was in place.
She said there were nine pending projects, including high-density ones, in Batu Ferringhi and two projects in Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah.
She questioned whether the Lembah Permai projects, which are two blocks of 32-storey apartments by two different developers located less than 1km apart, were taken into consideration.
The NGOs also feared that the master plan only took in the big picture with its highway options to improve traffic movement but offered little information into solving bottleneck problems as the highways fed vehicles into city roads.
CGGP member Tan Seng Hai said the NGOs felt the options presented by the consultants, AJC Planning Consultants Sdn Bhd, did not effectively address and explain solutions to traffic dispersal problems in the city and the suburbs.
"They can have new highways with more vehicles moving smoothly into places like George Town, Air Itam, Bayan Baru, Sungai Ara and Tanjung Bungah but how do they plan to overcome the bottleneck problems there, especially when we are also expecting more high-rise residential units to come up?
"The master plan is also missing bicycle lanes when everybody here knows that the state is trying to popularise cycling," he said.
The other options in the master plan were policy intervention and public transportation. The consultants presented options for an improved public transport system to reduce the number of vehicles and the need for a third link between the island and mainland.
Among the options were increasing the number of public buses; and introducing bus lanes, tram services, commuter rail services, light rail transit (LRT) services, and a new coastal ferry service.
The NGO representatives acknowledged that the state government could do little about public transport as it came under federal jurisdiction.
The master plan can be viewed at the foyer area on Level 3, Komtar and the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) office till tomorrow and April 23 to 27, respectively from 9am to 5pm.
It will also be on public display at Sunshine Farlim and Sunway Carnival Mall (Seberang Jaya) on Saturday and at Gurney Plaza and Aeon Seberang Prai City (Bandar Perda, Bukit Mertajam) on April 28.
Viewings are from 10am to 5pm.
For more information, visit http://ptc.penang.gov.my.
