I have not decided whether to support this campaign. What system is better for Penang, tram, monorail, subway(underground rail),etc? A combination of all these?
A fellow Gerakanis wrote me an email to seek my support for the campaign, below is what he wrote to me:
"Please join in the campaign. I'm convinced that trams are best for Penang Central District, are better than the mono-rails. Imagine the ugly high concrete structures on the narrow streets of Penang, even higher than the present two-storey shop-houses. Penang will lose its heritage
charm and destroy the human scale of Georgetown. I have been advocating for the introduction of trams to Penang way back in the 90's. The small picture featuring the modern tram below was taken by a traffic engineer in my presence. I brought him to visit a city called Strasbourg in France which was the first to RE-Introduce the trams. It was so successful that many other French cities followed suit.
This traffic engineer was convinced that trams can be introduced as a viable alternative to Penang and did try to convince the former administration but to no avail.
It is a blessing in disguise that the monorail project is cancelled. We have never asked for it anyway."
I was a little skeptical about this, and told that Penang roads are so narrow unlike Europe. This was his reply:-
"No, you are wrong. Many of the cities in France are medieval towns with narrow streets. Once we introduce trams, the streets should be pedestrianised or semi-pedestraianised with limited access to vehicles. These trams are silent and low, excellent for people hopping in and out as it cruises down the streets. Modern trams have no overhead cables...Of course its success must be implemented with controlled access with ordinary vehicles which are encouraged to park outside at carparks provided."
Anyway, I hope to hear the opinion of my blog readers and I have created a poll for this. If possible, please comment.
Below are some sites to visit on this topic:-
Tram (read the section on Pro & con of tram system)
What is a Monorail?
Monorail Wikipedia
Rapid Transit Wikipedia
Bloggers launch "Penangites for Trams" campaign
Today, several Penang-based bloggers and websites have simultaneously launched a "Penangites for Trams" campaign.
We hope more and more bloggers and webmasters - especially all those who care for Penang - will join in the campaign by placing these graphics on their blogs or websites. You may link the graphic to the URL for this post or choose to link to any other article or post extolling the benefits of trams.
This will help to raise awareness of the viability and economic benefits of trams. Of course, trams work best as part of an integrated public transport system, complementing an efficient and extensive network of buses.
Fittingly, the latest issue of the business weekly The Edge carries a full-page article in support of the re-introduction of trams in Penang.
Join in the campaign and pass the word around.
So far, these are the other bloggers and websites that support the re-introduction of trams in Penang:
Come on, together we can bring the trams back to Penang!
In case you are wondering what advantages trams bring, here's a list from the City of Edinburgh Council website.
The number of residents, visitors and businesses are expanding, especially in key areas such as the Waterfront and west Edinburgh.
While growth is good for our economy, it also means our roads will get busier and journeys longer without a new transport choice. Trams can carry large numbers of people quickly and efficiently.
Trams don't take up a lot of road space but they do carry a lot of people. As Edinburgh continues to grow, trams will be the most efficient way for people to travel about our city.
- Trams show a city is a modern and well-connected place to do business which can lead to more investment, new jobs, regeneration and more prosperity for us all
- Trams are an attractive option for motorists, with car users likely to be attracted to tram travel. Research shows 20% of peak hour and 50% of weekend tram passengers in the UK previously travelled by car
- Trams enhance the urban environment and generate civic pride
- Trams will encourage shoppers to travel to the city centre which can lead to more investment by businesses and regeneration. Dublin saw a rise of between 20% - 50% in pedestrian footfall figures on Grafton Street, the city's main shopping thoroughfare. Some retailers reported a 25% increase in trade
- Residential and commercial properties may see prices increase beside tram routes. In some cities with trams, house prices have risen by up to 15% and rental prices by up to 7%
- As trams run on electricity, there will be no emissions from the vehicles themselves
- Trams will be accessible to everyone, with benefits of low level boardings at every stop and other easy-to-use features which particularly help the disabled and less mobile
- Trams will be safe to use as, in addition to a driver, every tram will have a passenger attendant on board to check tickets, answer passenger queries and ensure no anti-social behaviour occurs
- Trams will offer concessionary fares
3 comments:
I am "mischievous", the "trams" words had been replaced by "monorails" words for the benefits stated by the City of Edinburgh for their trams system. Read below.
It could actually be replaced by "LRT", "Subway", "MRT", etc.
Monorails don't take up a lot of road space but they do carry a lot of people. As Penang continues to grow, Monorails will be the most efficient way for people to travel about our city.
* Monorails show a city is a modern and well-connected place to do business which can lead to more investment, new jobs, regeneration and more prosperity for us all
* Monorails are an attractive option for motorists, with car users likely to be attracted to monorail travel. Research shows 20% of peak hour and 50% of weekend monorail passengers in the UK previously travelled by car
* Monorails enhance the urban environment and generate civic pride
* Monorails will encourage shoppers to travel to the city centre which can lead to more investment by businesses and regeneration. KL saw a rise of between 20% - 50% in pedestrian footfall figures on Petaling Street, the city's main shopping thoroughfare. Some retailers reported a 25% increase in trade
* Residential and commercial properties may see prices increase beside monorail routes. In some cities with Monorails, house prices have risen by up to 15% and rental prices by up to 7%
* As Monorails run on electricity, there will be no emissions from the vehicles themselves
* Monorails will be accessible to everyone, with benefits of low level boardings at every stop and other easy-to-use features which particularly help the disabled and less mobile
* Monorails will be safe to use as, in addition to a driver, every monorail will have a passenger attendant on board to check tickets, answer passenger queries and ensure no anti-social behaviour occurs
* Monorails will offer concessionary fares
I'm not for monorail.
I'm still not convinced enough for trams either, unless I can see the plans for it.
Right now, I still think a disciplined and scheduled bus system should work best for Penang. Problem with buses before is the leasing aspect, which the new gov have realised and stopped. So I'll have to wait and see if there will be improvements in the near future.
From: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/say-no-to-trams.htm
Can someone knock some senses into the heads of some bloggers and activists who keep asking for the reintroduction of trams in George Town? I am writing this today because, despite all the evidence pointing against trams in George Town, there are still dreamers who think it is cool to have trams.
Before you vote for trams, here are some reasons why I say no to them.
a) I don't want George Town to look like Hatyai.
Do you want George Town to have ugly over-hanging powerlines like Hatyai? That's what you are going to get if you bring trams onto Penang roads. Otherwise how do they run, on battery? If they are going to run on petrol, then what better are they from buses? I cringe to think that a Unesco World Heritage Site is going to be marred with ugly power lines. The ugliness continues to the ground. No longer will our streets be smooth, they will now be crisscrossed with ugly tram lines. They only look good when they are new. After that ... well, go to the Butterworth railway station and look at the tracks and you'll get a picture of what to expect.
b) They are going to create even more traffic congestion.
Let's face it: the streets in George Town are narrow. If your tram moves too fast, it's going to be hazardous to cylists, motorcyclists and trishaws. If it moves too slow, it clogs the streets. In order to defend trams, are we going to prevent cars from entering George Town? Trams are going to obstruct traffic.
c) They are not grade separated In other words, they are going to share the same road space with bus, cars, motorcycles, vans, etc. Have you ever get caught behind a trishaw? Do you remember how annoying it is to inch your way down the road with the trishaw in front of you? That doesn't happen often now, as the number of trishaws in Penang has dwindled so much. How soon you forget! Just bring in the tram, and you will experience how it is like to be blocked by a train-size trishaw.
d) The experts are mistaken
So far, all the experts called in to advocate reintroducing trams have based their reasoning on studies done in temperate countries. Can they please answer why not a single tropical1 country in Asia is using trams? What's the difference between a tropical city and a temperate city? In tropical cities, you often see commuters on motorcycles, trishaws, tricycles, tuk tuk, risksaw, etc, which do often not feature in cities with cold weather. How are trams going to run on time if it has to avoid motorcyclist and what-have-yous? Experts who advocate trams often cite cities with excellent bus network. When your bus is running at an optimum, then you think about trams. Until then, continue to improve on your bus network.
e) They are of no practical use
Do you really believe that trams can do what buses cannot? Can they ply as many routes as buses, go from Weld Quay to Balik Pulau more efficiently than buses? Will a trip from Weld Quay to Balik Pulau be even longer because we now have to take trams? I would love to see trams negotiating the winding Balik Pulau country roads.
f) They are dangerous
Do you know how slippery are tram lines during the rain? A friend of mine fell off his bicycle on the tram line. That happened in Italy. Luckily there was no approaching trams. George Town is full of motorcyclist. If you put trams in George Town, every time it rains, they have to avoid the tram lines in our already narrow and congested streets. Now, that's creating hardship for the low income people.
g) They are expensive
If you think buses are expensive, wait till you look at the price tag for trams. With buses, you can change the route anytime there's a festivity like Thaipusam or the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. Are you going to dig up the tram lines every Thaipusam, and put them back three days later? I tell you, once the lines are laid, you very much have to live with them. You also have to compromise our cultural heritage and say good bye to tall floats and chingay flags.
h) They are one-size-fits-all
Right now, for low traffic routes, RapidPenang employ smaller buses. With trams, more likely it will be the same size every where. So even in the lesser routes, there will be a big, heavy tram passing by, very, very infrequently.
i) Just because they were once used in Penang doesn't make them a good idea
Those who don't learn from history will repeat it. We should find out why trams were taken off the streets. Is it because they have stopped serving their purpose?
So, if not trams, what should we do to improve the traffic situation in George Town? I say, continue improving the bus services. Create more routes. Make them reliable and punctual. Keep the fare low. Sell the benefits of taking the bus. At the very least, have a transport masterplan for George Town, taking all forms of public transport into consideration. I implore those who have advocated the reintroduction of trams to reconsider very cafefully. As far as I can see, trams are an ornamental solution for idealists.
Okay, I have said what I want to say. If you still want to introduce trams, go ahead. In future I can tell you, I told you so.
note 1: Someone pointed out to me that Kolkata and Hong Kong are two cities in Asia with trams that could be defined as "tropical". I should say "equatorial" city in the Far East.
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