TRANSIT has been following development in Penang in conjunction with the Penang Masterplan process as highlighted in our recent post, Penang update: Rapid Penang primed for growth? which included information about:
- RapidPenang’s plan to expand into other states in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER);
- Prasarana’s plan to expand the Weld Quay hub;
- The Penang Transport Masterplan.
Today, TRANSIT took note of 3 separate letters discussing the Penang Masterplan, as well as information about the Penang Transport Council.
We will not publish the letters in full, but links will be provided below.
Most importantly, we want to encourage people to become aware of the Penang Transport Council and the role that they play in public transport planning.
The First Letter
Wither Penang’s four transport plan reports? (Malaysiakini.com) – Ong Eu Soon comments on the 4 existing ‘masterplans’ for Penang and questions w;hy another one is needed, why the state government has not declassified the previous plans, and what can be done to ensure that the planning process is not handled ‘behind closed doors’
The Response
Bottom-up approach for Penang’s new Transport Master Plan (Malaysiakini.com) – Dr. Lim Mah Hui of the Penang Transport Council responds, stating that the 4 plans are out-of-date and done in a piecemeal fashion. Dr. Lim also mentions that the Penang Government will look at declassifying the 4 previous masterplans.
The Second Letter
What? Yet another Penang Transport Master Plan? (Malaysiakini.com) – Ong BK of the Bus Users’ Group argues that many of the plans and proposals already exist and it is a lack of political will that is preventing them from being carried out. He also expresses frustration that professionals are consulted but not the end users themselves.
TRANSIT Says:
We have been following the issues related to the Penang transport masterplan over the past few days and hope that some of the suggestions contained in the two letters can be considered.
TRANSIT would like to see a public summit to discuss the content of the original master plans as well as the proposed masterplan. This summit should include all stakeholders – especially public transport users. The Penang Transport Council should also invite public transport operators and ferry operators to attend and give feedback.
We will make the suggestion directly to the Penang Transport Council and also write a letter to discuss this topic soon.
As always, your comments are welcome.
Transit Malaysia 