GEORGE TOWN, Nov 27 — The Penang government always strives to find solutions to overcome very bad traffic congestions statewide, specifically from Butterworth and Seberang Jaya heading towards the island, such as Bayan Lepas and George Town.

State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the state government has taken several short-term measures, including encouraging the use of public transportation.

"For now, Rapid Penang has 237 buses operating in the state and the number will be increased in stages according to the need to provide a more efficient and quality service.

"In addition, the state government has fully funded the My50 Mutiara pass for free unlimited travel for all daily commuters and provided a free Central Area Transit (CAT) service in the George Town city centre area to create an efficient transport system and encourage the continuous use of public transport,” he said.

He said this in reply to an oral question from K. Kumaran (DAP-Bagan Dalam) about efforts to overcome traffic congestion in Penang at the State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.

Zairil (DAP-Tanjung Bunga) said apart from that, the free Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) Bridge bus service for the Bayan Baru to Seberang Jaya, Bukit Mertajam-Komtar routes and provision of the Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (BEST) bus service for those working in Komtar proved very useful in helping to overcome the issue of traffic congestion from Butterworth and Seberang Jaya towards the island.

He said the state government also implemented various actions to reduce traffic jams, especially along the Juru-Sungai Dua North-South Expressway, including configuring the road lines at certain locations, which is to increase the number of one-way lanes from three to four to increase the highway capacity.

He added that other methods included increasing enforcement action and collaborating with the police to control traffic at the Penang Bridge and congestion-prone road junctions, especially during peak hours. — Bernama