Hopefully, I am paranoia (Suspicion of others that is not based on fact), for the last two weeks there seem to be some concerted efforts in preparing Penangites for the cancellation of the second bridge. Read some of the articles below.I remember calling my branch chairman and division youth leader that I will resign from Gerakan if the Second Bridge was not built. We would have failed the rakyat. This happened not too long ago when King Samy announced the expansion of the first bridge and the cancellation of the second bridge. Later, King Samy announced that the second bridge will not be canceled.
The second bridge will definitely divert traffic from the first bridge and help reduce accident. We will then see two bridges with generally smoother traffic.
Another important reason for the second bridge is that if something unthinkable happened to the first bridge, Penang will not be crippled. There are many other reasons to have the second bridge, I will not discuss it now, it will make this posting too long.
Lim Guan Eng, please don't do anything that can jeopardizes the Second Bridge. If there are delays to a certain extant, most Penangites can accept it. Please ensure NO CANCELLATION. You will feel the WRATH of many Penangites if you cancel it.
Malaysiakini, Apr 28, 08 3:21pm
Second bridge cancellation a blessing Om Prakash
I refer to the letter Penang doesn't need a second bridge at all.
Indeed it is true for with another bridge its only going to bring more chaos and damage to the environment and quality of life in Penang Island.
In fact, the industrial zone in the island should by right be re-located to the mainland for easy access to the port and to avoid heavy traffic on the bridge.
Please let us just stop at the widening of the current bridge and apply stringent traffic-control on the bridge and for the whole of the island supported by a high standard of ferry-service management....
...Let’s officially announce the cancellation of the Second Penang Bridge soon. If the current government of Penang is serious about improving and preserving Penang Island, it must support the cancellation of the Second Bridge project.
Letter to Malaysiakini and newspaper
Penang doesn't need a second bridge at all
SM Mohamed Idris, Apr 23, 08 3:53pm
We refer to the letter Improve ferry service to augment Penang Bridge.
It has been reported that the planned second Penang bridge will cost RM4.3 billion. This is a staggering sum of money by any standards, even more so when one considers that a second bridge is not what Penang needs.
Another bridge will only bring more traffic congestion to the already car-choked streets of Penang island. It has been suggested that the ongoing widening of the existing Penang Bridge will not suffice as the bridge will become congested again in a few years.
If so, then the same logic equally applies to a second bridge which will also become clogged up eventually under current trends. What would the authorities' solution be then - build yet another bridge while Penangites struggle with bumper-to-bumper traffic?
There has to be a better option than constructing a second bridge. And there is. For one, the existing ferry service should be upgraded. More ferries can be obtained for this purpose, and more ferry terminals built at strategic points on the island and the mainland. There should also be adequate bus services to and from the terminals.
If indeed a third link between Penang island and Seberang Perai is deemed necessary, then it should be a light rail link, one that transports people rather than congestion-causing private cars. Like with the ferry service, buses and possibly an extended light rail system should service both ends of the cross-channel link.
In short, the focus must be on improving the public transport system in Penang. This is a much more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way of ferrying people from point A to point B, especially in this time of skyrocketing oil prices and global warming.
In this regard, RM4.3 billion, or even a portion thereof, would be able to fund a quality public transport network that will efficiently serve Penangites. It may not be as glamorous as an ‘iconic’ second bridge, but it would be more people-friendly, and that is surely what matters most.
The writer is president, Consumers Association of Penang.
Anil Netto's blog, Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Ten reasons why the second Penang bridge is not a great idea
1. It will add to traffic congestion on the island. Even with an additional third lane, the existing Penang Bridge is expected to become congested again in a few years. That’s the rationale given for building a new bridge. But then, what will happen to the roads on Penang Island with all that traffic coming in? Green Lane and Scotland Road are already congested with no room for further widening. Has an independent EIA and traffic study - analysing the impact on surrounding areas and roads on the mainland and the island - been carried out for this project?
2. We should be moving away from private vehicle transport and turning to public transport, not spending more money on infrastructure for private cars.
3. Higher global oil prices costs will burden bridge users, what more if the bridge is more than 22-24km (17km over water) long. Oil prices will rise even further in coming years while Malaysia will become a net importer of oil in a few years.
4. Toll charges on the second bridge are likely to be much higher than the RM7 on the existing bridge (a rate of RM9.40 has been mentioned), bearing in mind that the proposed bridge is over twice as long as the Penang Bridge. How many regular bridge users will be able to afford the higher toll and petrol charges?
5. Higher toll rates on the new bridge will lead to hikes in the existing Penang Bridge toll (from RM7.00 to RM9.40 and no more 20 per cent discount for Touch ‘n’ Go users?) and ferry fares. (If the Penang Bridge toll and ferry fare is lower, few people will want to use the new bridge.)
6. That would mean the tolls for the existing Penang Bridge will continue indefinitely even though the cost of the bridge has been recovered many, many times over.
7. In July 2007, the estimated cost of the second bridge was RM2.7 billion. By October/November 2007, it had crept up to RM3 billion. By January 2008, it was between RM3 billion and RM4 billion. And now, it is at about RM4.3 billion! How much will the final cost come to upon completion of the bridge? (An expert familiar with bridge building told me that the cost of materials for a new bridge, based on the estimated built area, would quite likely be less than RM1 billion. So how do we get RM4.3 billion? Can we have a breakdown of this figure?) How were the contracts awarded to a joint-venture comprising China Harbour Engineering Corp, a unit of the state-owned China Communications Construction Group (CCCG), and United Engineers Malaysia Bhd, also a state-controlled company? The lack of open tenders could lead to inflated contract estimates. Penangites could end up saddled with the cost of the bridge and higher tolls for years to come while the toll revenues go to UEM/Putrajaya. The people of Penang could well have to stump out many times the cost of the new bridge in tolls, just as they have for the existing bridge. And what is the additional cost of making the bridge resistant to major earthquakes?
8. The new bridge is likely to hurt the fishing industry in the southeast of the island, where fisher folks are already complaining about drastically reduced catches as a result of land reclamation. A Bernama report on 17 January said that the start of the second Penang bridge project had been delayed as the state government wanted to resolve several matters involving fishermen as well as fish and cockle breeders who would be affected by the project. Former chief minister Koh Tsu Koon said the project could affect the livelihood of 1,500 fishermen and the breeders, who were worried the project could threaten the area’s ecosystem. Will this deplete fish stocks and lead to higher seafood prices in Penang, making it affordable only to the elite? Has a study been done on the impact of the bridge on fisheries in the state?
9. The money spent on the bridge would be better spent on quality public transport, social housing (instead of creating more high-rise slums), public health care and schools.
10.The projected carbon footprint, the increased traffic, and the impact on global warming of this project is likely to be enormous. How many tons of raw material including metal, concrete, cable, electricity and fuel will be consumed in the construction of the bridge?
Building new roads and bridges to cope with congestion is not a viable long-term solution. Such infrastructure will rapidly get congested again, and then we are back to square one. There is a limit to the road surface area that Penang Island can take. And how much will all this cost in the long run and how will it affect the quality of life when more and wider roads are built, eating up precious green spaces?So what is the alternative?
If at all a third link (the ferry service and the Penang Bridge are the first two) is necessary, how about a light rail link parallel to the existing Penang Bridge? This would encourage people to use public transport to commute between the island and the mainland.
This rail link could be connected by buses/trams/light rail to industrial areas and urban centres on the island and on the mainland.
The ferry services should be expanded. Bangkok makes full use of river transport, but Penang has not tapped the full potential of sea-based public transport. More ferry terminals should be set up at different points of the island and on the mainland so that ferries can criss-cross the channel instead of being confined to the Butterworth-George Town route. Buses and trams at the ferry terminals could shuttle people to their ultimate destinations.
What do you think?
Read also: Second Penang Bridge
13 comments:
I'm a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT), a Royal Chartered professional body for logistics & transport. I was given to understand that the present management committee of the CILT Penang chapter had sent a letter to the new state government, expressing their willingness to offer free logistics & transport related consultancy services to them, for the benefit of the society, but it's sad to note the new state government shows NO RESPOND to the logistics & transport professionals' body, till to-date??? It seems the new state government do not treat the transportation or logistics as an important sector in the development of Penang, especially for the NCER???
They're not serious in the development of transportation and logistics sectors. Then, what else to discuss further on the blog with regards to the 2nd bridge?
I have notice that this pro-gerakan blog hardly have any comment on its article, i wonder why?
if you construct your article only focus on bashing the current LGE government, no ppl will come to this blog.
the people of Penang has grown up, we know what is wrong and right, please be fair in your articles.
please look at your top leaders(Gerakan + MCA), suddenly speaking out against UMNO!!! All of you should do this 5 decades ago. is too late now, it will just make your party sounds like a big "kap siao ong"
I like to read blogs. Unfortunately, there are a lack of pro-BN blogs. No or a few comments, do not mean no one read them. Maybe, what is said in the is true that readers felt not necessary to comment. Maybe, the BN people is just learning to read blogs, and still do not how to comment. It is also a new blog. Anyway, if Steven can come here to comment mean many people are reading it - hah, hah, hah
hahahah.. i follow a few "non PR blog" too. i dun want to put it as BN blog cos i think Gerakan, MCA, MIC is at a crossroad now. their future direction is still not very "Clear". i came to know about this blog thru Dr Hsu's excellent blog, Dr. Hsu is honest and fair. If gerakan leaders are like him decades ago, they might still retained PG.
I also follow some MCA blog's. most of them are starting to criticise unjust policies and behaviour of Umno, just wondering what make them change overnight? lol
It's never too late as long as you do or to start anything...
After so much of criticism on BN via letters, internets, blogs, emails etc, DAP had finally taken over becoming the ruling party in Penang. This is about 42 years, although it's very SLOW from many angles. No productivity was noted, anyway. NVM, let's see how they work... world is definitely "round"
Dear steven,
Is this fair enough? Below is what I posted on Dr Hsu's forum.
This is my take on the mega projects.
2nd Bridge
I think this bridge is necessary given that the present bridge is already at or near peak capacity. If I’m not wrong, the overall plan calls for 3 bridges eventually.
The 1st bridge linking the middle of the island to Seberang Perai Tengah (present bridge), the 2nd bridge, from south of the island to Seberang Perai Selatan, and the 3rd bridge, from north of the island to Seberang Perai Utara.
The idea is to restructure how the limited land in Penang is used. With ease of transportation between the island and mainland, it will be easier to live on the island and yet work on the mainland and vice versa.
The intention was to free the land currently used for industrial purposes on the island so that more land is made available for housing and ease the inner-city congestion. If I remember correctly, there was once even talk of moving all the government agencies over to the mainland.
The main complaint about the 2nd bridge was that not many locals benefited from the construction of it as most of the tenders were given to non-Penang contractors.
A second complaint was that it will only increase traffic to the already congested inner-city. This may be the case but it can be managed (eg. Singapore) if a reliable and good public transport system is in place, which brings me to the monorail.
Light Rail Transit System (LRT) – Monorail or Underground, whatever.
This is badly needed to complement the Rapid Penang bus system. Granted that Rapid Penang has made great strides for public transportation in Penang, the next natural step would be an LRT system.
Once a proper working, reliable and affordable mode of public transportation is in place, then the authorities can impose restrictions on vehicles entering the inner-city (like Singapore) and impose higher parking charges for the inner-city (like all major cities throughout the world).
In fact I would think that the LRT system need to be in place first before the 2nd bridge is completed.
Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR)
I think most Penangites have no objections to PORR but take issue with the toll that will be imposed and the high cost of construction involved, some RM1.02b for 17km of highway.
I think most Penangites will agree with me that a drive from Tanjung Bungah to Tambun for seafood would take about 45 mins at least. From TB to the bridge will probably take more time than crossing the bridge to the 1st highway exit (if it’s not during peak hours).
Let us be honest. How many Penangites today living on the north side of the island are making more trips to Queensbay now that we have the Jelutong Expressway? I for one, who would previously venture down Green Lane only if absolutely necessary, would now not hesitate to drive there if there is an event of interest or even with the wife on weekend shopping for groceries.
Looking at the overall picture, I think all 3 projects are needed if Penang desires to develop as a ‘madern’ city. There is no other way forward if the population of Penang continues to rise and with growing affluence, more and more cars are registered each day.
A major re-engineering of Penang is badly needed if it is to move forward. This is why I think all 3 projects are needed but in which order? Given the financial constraints of the government, I think it is overly ambitious to even contemplate all 3 projects at the same time.
They need not be carried out simultaneously!
IMHO, we should prioritise and determine which of the 3 will bring most immediate benefits without exacerbating the other problems at hand.
I think the LRT should be 1st as it would provide affordable and reliable transportation for those who are not able to afford private vehicles.
The 2nd should be the 2nd bridge. I choose the 2nd bridge over PORR because if the LRT is in place and working as intended, then there should be less traffic in the inner-city and the need for PORR less pressing.
However, with the completion of the 2nd bridge, PORR would be needed with the influx of vehicles to the island. To avoid congestions, PORR could be timed to start about midway through the construction of the 2nd bridge.
In a simplistic way, I believe for all these 3 projects to succeed would be to stagger their implementation. Given the humongous amounts involved, I think it is overly ambitious to carry out all these 3 projects simultaneously.
The wiser and more realistic way would be to channel all the financial resources available for all 3 projects just for the 1st project only without selling the concessions of any project to a private developer so as not to burden Penangites any further. Then move on to what is 2nd most beneficial and so forth if and when the finances are available.
Penangites can be patient if the government shows common sense and practice transparency. I believe we only object to these projects (much as we want them), because of the way they are implemented and believe that if there is no corruption involved, half of these projects would have been paid for without the need of external private financing.
Steven,
Whether this blog is "kap sioa ong" or not it is none of your business. If you think the articles in this blog is worth reading then you are most welcome to read it. If you think otherwise,then by all means please excuse yourself. Actually you sound more like a "kap siao ng" to me.
In my point of view, everyone has the right to speak and to comment. But do keep our comment professional and avoid humiliating and insulting words.
This is a very fundamental thing.
regards,TG
From the trail of the comments, the most important points were missed again -
a) Why did the present State Government has not responded to CILT yet ?
b) The project is at the mercy of the Federal Govt. Of course, Penangite will want the bridge but before having the 2nd bridge, we need to resolve the internal traffic infrastructure of the island first. If we allowed more traffic in without an outlet for the Island, the jam will be worst off. If we know that we have that many ringgit to spend only, then we need to prioritize what is best for Penangite first.
c) Steven does care about the well being of Gerakan, MIC, MCA and etc. Continue to engage him for ideas and remember, he could potentially be your voters in the coming GE13. If you can command respect from him, I am sure he will go all out to help you win more support.
Romerz, I do agreed with your rank of importance for the 3 major transportation projects.
My opinion is that the Monorail is at least a decade too late. I had used the S'pore MRT(Mass Rapid Transit) in 1990, 18 years ago. I was damn impressed. I think it was operational in 1987-88.
All 3 projects with the public bus networks and ferries complement each others.
It is the best, if we can have them all. But, as you said, sometime there are constraints.
Tg quote:
"Whether this blog is "kap sioa ong" or not it is none of your business. If you think the articles in this blog is worth reading then you are most welcome to read it. If you think otherwise,then by all means please excuse yourself. Actually you sound more like a "kap siao ng" to me.
In my point of view, everyone has the right to speak and to comment. But do keep our comment professional and avoid humiliating and insulting words.
This is a very fundamental thing."
I indeed is a "kap siao Ong" and thank you for your compliments. If you pay attention to my comment, i hope this blog will give a fair and positive constructive postings and articles. in this way more penang ppl will come to this blog and the comments(positive+negative" will increase eveentually. Blog is a very good channel to "engage" the people, and perhaps Gerakan can reach out to more potential voters in this manner.
TG, if you cant take a critisim, fine i will go elsewhere and mind my own business, in the process, maybe i will advise my friends to avoid this blog for good since this blog cant take a second opinion.
All penang people wants development, but how the project is given out is so "un-transparent", Take PORR as an example, the project is so costly, and environmental damaging and the ppl doubt whether it is necessary in the first place? how the cost is calculated and whether there is any tender being call or not for such a expensive project? I dun want to mention PGCC since that project is already history.
The manner of how the prokect being manage is the Question Pg ppl ask:" do we need it" "whose pocket is getting fatter with this project" "why no open tender for such an expensive project" "why!"
As romerz put it, PG definitely need an efficient public transportation, the second bridge or third bride can come later..
the island road already bursting at its seams now, what make you think she can handle further influx of cars coming in thru the second bridge?
I am not sure why this blog was sent to me, but I must add my comments to those who have questioned the rationality of having a second bridge.
First of all, the roads on Penang Island cannot be expanded any further in many parts, and additional vehicles on the roads, mean only traffic jams, carbon monoxide pollution and more irate people on the roads - don't we have enough of all these?
The more rational discussion would be when will the Government, both local and federal, look into improving the infrastructure - ie add light rail transit systems to link the island to the mainland - the people on the mainland can then park their cars on Butterworth and take the rail across to Penang and vice versa.
I am amazed that how everyone is going on about a second bridge. Have any one stayed in Penang during the Chinese New Year and any long public holiday weekends in Penang??
If you have, then you will know that Penang is the last place on earth that any foreign tourist will visit these days, because the beaches are no longer beckoning - beware of glass shards on the beaches, dog poop and litter all over!
People who spend hours battling the traffic, are no longer the courteous and friendly Malaysians we know, but rather ... aggressive and abusive snarling homo sapiens, who have forgotten what it is to be human and courteous.
Do we want more of the same? Perhaps we should look at how we can change ourselves and our image, as easily as we change our government!
Let's look for proactive ways to enhance our image abroad, instead of being the ugly Malaysian and perhaps life is worth the living again!
Penang already has nothing to offer in terms of tourism, manufacturing and among other things. We are lyimh to ourself with eyes open wide when we say everything is fine.
Why over RM1 billion can spend on sme stupid road which pg ppl need to pay toll maybe for 2 generations but not on a LRT system or other means of transport?
Any Gerakan supporter can tell me why?
as a start built the LRT along the coastal road from Batu Maung to Weld Quay, then from Weld Quey to Tanjung Tokong/Bunga. These 2 main line should move ppl across the island with ease. Less ppl will be affected by land acquisition since no ppl stay near the sea!
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