Penang Forum moots RM13.3b transport master plan alternative

GEORGE TOWN, July 13 ― Penang Forum, an informal network of 40 Penang non-governmental organisations, proposed today an alternative Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) that it claimed is one-third cheaper than the state's plan.

The group unveiled its plan at a news conference here, touting it as “better, cheaper, faster” and more accessible to the people, along with a petition to the state government to scrap its PTMP, which they claimed to be pricey and poorly-integrated.

“The state's PTMP is expected to cost up to RM46 billion while our proposal will cost only one third of that sum,” said Penang Forum steering committee member Khoo Salma who is also Penang Heritage Trust vice-president.

Several other steering committee members including Datuk Dr Shahrom Ahmat, Anil Netto and Dr Lim Mah Hui were also present at the press conference and pointed out alleged weaknesses in the state's PTMP.

They claimed the PTMP, to be implemented by the project delivery partner SRS Consortium, is different from the plan proposed by engineering consultant, Halcrow.

Halcrow was appointed to conduct a study and came up with a comprehensive transport plan for Penang back in 2011 and its blueprint for the PTMP was adopted in 2013.

They pointed out that under SRS, the PTMP has two LRT lines, two monorails, one tramline and three Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) while Halcrow's original plan had seven tramlines and three BRT routes.

Penang Forum’s alternative transport plan is based loosely on the Halcrow's blueprint without the undersea tunnel and three paired roads.

The group contends that there is no need to build more highways but instead called for the  introduction of an integrated tramline system complemented by the BRTs to reduce cars on the roads.

According to Lim who is a member of the Penang Island City Council, a single LRT line costs RM6 billion while one tramline costs RM1.6 billion.

“Instead of using the RM6 billion to build the LRT, we could have built three tramlines,” he claimed.

They also said using a combined BRT and tram system means easier and cheaper connectivity around the island and also between the island and the mainland.

The group's alternative PTMP is available for download at its website, www.bettercheaperfaster.my.

The state announced its PTMP in 2015 and estimated the costs to be about RM27 billion which will be funded by the reclamation of three islands off the south of the island.