by Ganesh Rasagam

Part 3

Stuck at the Crossroads

  * Road network efficiency
  * Public transport capacity and quality
  * Road traffic safety
  * Sustainability

These issues and factors are described briefly in Table G.

Table G: Major urban transport issues in the state of Penang (2001)
 

Issues	Factors
Road network efficiency	Poorly defined road network hierarchy Poor physical condition of roads at certain locations Inadequate capacity of existing roads to cope with new large traffic generators  Critical road links affected by flash floods and tidal floods Full carriageway widths are unavailable due to obstructions such as on-street parking, illegal parking and informal structures as well as bus stops without lay-bys Roads have multiple functions: conflict between local and through traffic as well as localised conflict of major traffic movements Inadequate enforcement of regulations on loading and unloading activities by heavy goods vehicles and illegal parking Inadequate junction control and conflicting flows at existing priority control junctions Restrictions on junction capacity due to proximity of bus stops and on-street parking Excessive demand for parking in certain locations
Public transport capacity and quality	in-vehicle congestion; services operating at or near maximum capacity poor ride quality : peak period crowding poor passenger information on routes/fares inadequate passenger infrastructure especially for the mobility-impaired bus frequency seriously affected by traffic congestion staff shortages / absenteeism affects service reliability inconsistency in route choices by drivers bus stops not clearly defined and no proper lay-bys poor integration between routes and modes poor bus interchange facilities limited capacity of ferry services and poor integration with bus services
Road safety	conflicts between pedestrian and vehicle traffic and motorcycle and other vehicle traffic footbridges sited away from main centres of pedestrian activity poor safety awareness inadequate road safety measures  poor traffic control at priority junctions poor road maintenance
Sustainability	declining urban environmental quality due to vehicular emissions town planning practices geared towards private vehicle use increasing levels of energy consumption by the transportation sector current levels of private vehicle use and traffic growth are not sustainable and TDM initiatives are not in place lack of facilities for NMT (pedestrians, cyclists and trishaws) no continuous, well-defined footpath network and links to bus stops, taxi terminals, shopping centres and other major destinations

Source: author
 
 

Issues are complex

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While the issues are classified neatly into categories as presented above, in reality urban transport issues are complex, inter-linked and overlap. Road network capacity has a direct influence on public transport capacity and service quality. Bus service frequencies during peak hours are affected by traffic congestion as the bus routes coincide with the main roads and the buses are stuck in traffic. Buses pulling out of bus stops or waiting to pick up or drop passengers often obstruct vehicle flow thus reducing network capacity and aggravating the traffic congestion. Similarly, network capacity and public transport capacity and quality affect road safety and sustainability of the transport system. Improved network capacity will reduce conflicts between vehicles and lower driver frustration. More efficient bus services will attract higher ridership levels and lower private vehicle use. This will lead to a more sustainable transport system with environmental quality improvements, lower energy consumption and improved safety.  Urban transport issues therefore need to be managed through an integrated and balanced approach taking into consideration the roles of various modes (road/rail/water) and interchanges, the role of non-motorised transport and management of environmental and social impacts. Penang at present is far from this and is at the crossroads in terms of transport planning and investment.  The proposed highways have not been implemented as yet although the concessions have been awarded. The major proposals in the state are as shown in Table H.

 

Table H: Major road projects in Penang 
 

Project	Cost  (RM billion)	Status
Jelutong Expressway	0.3	Work commenced, delays due to land acquisition problems, targeted for completion in 2003 (First Phase) and after 2005 (Second Phase)
PORR	1.0	Final design, expected to commence in 2002
BORR	2.4	Work commenced, delays due to land acquisition problems, targeted for completion in 2003
Second Link	2.3	Feasibility study to be completed in 2001

Source: author (based on media reports)
Note: costs are published estimates only 

Compensating the Toll Concessionaire

In addition, there are plans under consideration to re-introduce an Area Traffic Control System or Intelligent Transport System in Georgetown. On-going projects include the upgrading of the Batu Ferringhi-Tanjung Tokong road and an elevated crossing at Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. The total cost of these road projects is well over RM 6 billion! While these are privatised projects, the availability of adequate financial resources is not always certain, depending upon the performance of the economy in the coming years. It looks very likely that the Outer Ring Roads will not be completed as scheduled while the Second Link is also not likely to take off in 2003 as announced. This delay actually opens a window of opportunity to review the 1980 JICA transport plan proposals for Ring Roads in the context of current landuse and transport characteristics and the objectives of sustainable transport planning that the state says it is committed to. The real issue is whether it is politically feasible to do so given that all three are Federal projects over which the state government has had little control. 

But are these projects economically feasible? The answer to this question depends very much on the assumptions that the planners and engineers make in their feasibility studies. The conventional method of estimating the benefits of a particular highway project is to estimate the savings in travel time and the reduction in vehicle operating costs from higher average travel speeds and reduced delays compared to without the highway. While this model may have worked in the past when the first highways were being built, their application to current urban transport problems is grossly inadequate. This is largely because the sustainability elements such as environmental impacts, energy consumption, road safety and social impacts are not quantified and taken into consideration as costs. 

The other reason to be wary of such feasibility studies is the fact that these new highways are all going to be toll expressways. The practice in awarding toll concessions has been that the government has to compensate the toll concessionaire if the traffic volumes are less than the agreed projected level as in the agreement. So if there are more private cars and motorcycles on Penang roads, the toll concessionaire increases his revenue while the people of Penang bear the environmental and social costs. However if the traffic volumes drop (and correspondingly the social and environmental costs decline) the toll concessionaire will still be compensated from taxpayers' contributions! It must also be emphasised that the toll concessionaire is not responsible for any traffic congestion problems outside the limits of the expressway. 

At the Crossroads

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The authorities are also at crossroads in terms of public transport policy. Here the dilemma is whether incremental improvements such as increasing the number of mini buses in service and providing the free shuttle bus service in George Town can result in the lasting and significant improvements to the transport system that are urgently required. The state government and local authorities have neither legislative nor institutional authority over public transport. However there is no assurance that simply acquiring such authority will enable them to completely overhaul the public transport system in Penang. This is because while there is unanimity in the virtues of public transport over private transport, decision-makers are keenly aware of the political costs of discouraging private vehicle ownership and championing shifting of resources to public transport. So what we have in the end is a policy compromise of sorts: the state will keep building more highways and flyovers and at the same time tinker with incremental improvements to public transport in the hope that one day there will be equilibrium. This is clearly not going to happen! 

There is also much hope placed on technology fixes, notably Intelligent Transportation Systems, to alleviate the adverse impacts of traffic congestion. Advocates of road development and personal mobility argue that the technological revolution in the automotive industry, from cleaner fuels and engines to fully automated "intelligent" self-drive cars, will resolve the current traffic congestion problems. This is perhaps the secret wish of our policy makers and planners! Unfortunately there is little evidence that these emerging technologies will be widely available in the near future. In any case, there is no compelling "technology" argument against expanding public transport. 

This then is the dilemma that the authorities find themselves in. They cannot abandon the massive investments in highways and overhead passes for fear of political repercussions despite the knowledge that these will not alleviate the traffic congestion problems (and in fact will very likely worsen traffic problems in the long term). At the same time, they shy away from a total commitment to a public transport system (that is presently patronized mainly by school children, low income groups and foreign workers) again for fear of rejection by the car and motorcycle owning Penang voters! Perhaps that is the real reason why the Outer Ring Roads never got built for 20 years as we dither at the policy crossroads! 

The road less traveled: from jams to trams

The state clearly has to make a choice now before spending more than RM 6 billion on roads. This choice involves a radical departure from the proposals in the 1980 JICA Transport Plan and the current road development plans. The road less traveled requires the state to adopt a transport policy that is unambiguously committed to public transport and discourages private motorized transport. For a transportation system to be sustainable, it must be economically, ecologically and socially sustainable. In practical terms, sustainability is therefore a desirable goal to be achieved incrementally rather than a state of arrival. 

The criteria to assess whether a transportation system is sustainable or not is as follows: 
Economic and financial sustainability: efficient use of limited financial resources, proper maintenance of assets, adoption of cost effective and functional technologies and infrastructure investment that is responsive to changing demands 

Environmental and ecological sustainability: reduction of threats to life and health from traffic accidents, air and noise pollution and integration of environmental costs into project appraisal 

Social sustainability: enhancing quality of life, improving accessibility for all sections of the community, meeting transport needs of the mobility impaired and low-income groups 

For Penang, some of the key policy elements to be addressed in developing a sustainable transport system are discussed as follows:

Decentralisation and devolution of transport planning and management authority

Transport policy formulation is centralised at the level of the Federal government and comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Economic Planning Unit (Prime Minister's Department) and Ministry of Transport. Road network planning including projects such as the proposed Second Crossing is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Works involving the JKR, HPU and LLM. Licensing of public transport vehicles (buses and taxis) is under the Entrepreneur Development Ministry. The state government and local authorities therefore have no formal authority or role in public transport (except for regulating trishaws!). 

The clearest example of this is in the planning of bus routes where the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) decides on the number of buses and routes almost independently. Another example is the ferry services that are managed by Penang Port which come under the Ministry of Transport. While the ferry services play a major role as part of the urban transportation system of Butterworth and Georgetown, neither the MPPP nor MPSP has any role in integrating the ferry services into an overall urban transport system. Similarly, the bus services under the CVLB cannot be integrated with the ferry services in terms of capacity planning as well as scheduling and ticketing. 

The fragmentation of transport planning and management authority has to be resolved before the state can adopt any integrated urban transport policy. This requires changes to existing legislation and the formulation of a State Transport Enactment to give the state government necessary powers to implement an integrated urban transport system. More importantly, this cannot happen without political commitment and support from the Federal government. Relinquishing control over licensing is one issue that will pose a major stumbling block.

Financing is another major issue. While Penang has 10 per cent of the total registered motor vehicles in the country, the financial resources allocated to the state for transportation are not commensurate. There should be a formula based on revenue generated from vehicle taxes and fuel sales to finance new transportation projects especially public transport infrastructure.

Community participation and involvement in transport planning

The devolution of transport planning and management roles from Federal to State level has to be accompanied by a greater role for community participation and involvement in transport planning. The residents in any area and the daily users of transport facilities would know best the problems they encounter and their inputs need to be solicited and incorporated into any transport plan. The concept of Local Transport Plans is increasingly being adopted in the UK where residents have a large say in determining the transport choices they would like to have. All major transport proposals in Penang need to be published in detail in the media and the Internet and go through a process of public consultation and approval. Transparency in transport planning will generate greater community participation and support for the less popular proposals such as demand management measures. A Transport Planning Commission with representatives from citizen groups, NGOs, professional associations of engineers, planners and eminent persons has to be set up to review all major transport proposals before adoption by the authorities.

Integration of modes and choices

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It has been proven that integration of modes and choices is the key to any successful transport strategy and this integration has to be achieved as:
Physical integration: establishing physical inter-connection and high quality passenger interchange facilities across modes at critical nodes such as KOMTAR, the ferry terminals and urban population centers

Image integration: the transport system is perceived as a single network by both planners and users both conceptually and in daily usage
Operations integration: coordination of service schedules, inter-connections, schedules amongst buses and the ferry service
Tariff integration: common ticketing, fare setting, pooling of revenues amongst buses and the ferry service

Institutional integration: integrated policies, management and implementation as described earlier

Restoring pedestrian rights

Improving safety and comfort for pedestrians should be viewed as priority rather than an afterthought. Walking is a healthy choice and people must be given the right to exercise that choice. Covered or shaded pedestrian footpaths, attractive pedestrian-only malls and safe crossings are essential and relatively inexpensive to provide. The Campbell street semi-pedestrianisation scheme is a laudable initiative that has to be improved upon and expanded to adjacent areas in order to be effective. Pedestrian crossings should be at-grade as far as possible unless they are linking adjacent buildings. The traditional verandah ways in George Town need to be freed of obstructions and made fully accessible to pedestrians through education and enforcement of existing regulations. Town planning regulations need to be reviewed to ensure that all new residential, commercial and public use buildings and areas design adequate, unobstructed access for pedestrians.

Expansion of bus services

The existing system of licensing private bus operators has proven ineffective in providing reliable and efficient bus services. The bus operators complain that they are unable to increase service quality, as their current operations are unprofitable. The way forward is to adopt the proposal first recommended in 1970(24) to develop a system of franchises and route awards through competitive bidding that will serve as incentives for the operators to expand and modernize. Under this system, all bus licenses and routes will be under the purview of a state authority that will in turn plan and allocate franchises and routes through competitive bidding. Operators are subject to performance review, including a public review by bus users, to ensure that they meet pre-determined service quality standards. The state authority can own and control the bus fleet and infrastructure such as bus stops and terminals while the franchises could be purely managerial and operational. This arrangement will facilitate pooling of funds for cross-subsidies for social routes as well as facilitate integrated ticketing and coordination of schedules and inter-connection.

Service capacity cannot be increased if buses are stuck behind cars and motorcycles, as is the case now. Dedicated High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the major routes can increase capacities significantly. The prevailing argument against this is that the roads in Penang are too narrow to accommodate such lanes. However such lanes have been implemented in many towns and cities all over the world with similar road widths. In any case, it is unlikely that roads can ever be built wide enough to accommodate bus lanes without taking away space from other road vehicles. The application of ITS technologies to bus transport has been significant allowing real time tracking of buses through GPS and passenger information systems. Electric trolley buses and guided buses can increase the attractiveness and capacity of bus services significantly and are comparatively less expensive compared to other light rail transit systems. A combination of these buses can dramatically alter the current levels of usage of buses. A final point on buses is that the role of express, school and factory buses in the transport system is under appreciated. The services of these buses need to be coordinated as well by the state authorities to improve service levels. In this regard, the decision to relocate the express bus terminal out of George Town is not consistent with increasing public transport access nor helpful in integrating express buses with other modes.

 Expansion of ferry services

The ferry services have long been the pride of Penang. However with the opening of the Penang bridge the service has been allowed to go into decline. The total volume of traffic carried by the ferry services has been declining steadily with the largest decline in bicycle traffic (15 per cent per year) followed by foot passenger traffic (9 per cent per year) in the past 10 years.(25) Passenger traffic last year was only 30 per cent of that in 1980 (when the ferry services were operating at full capacity before the collapse of the jetty in 1988) while vehicle traffic declined by only about 34 per cent over the same period.(26) This indicates that there is still significant demand for ferry services for vehicles traveling between George Town and Butterworth despite the capacity and service constraints. 

The current daily passenger traffic (from Seberang Perai to Penang Island) is estimated as shown in Table I.
 

Table I: Daily passenger traffic from Seberang Perai to Pulau Pinang
 

	Total passengers	Total cars	Total motorcycles	Total private vehicles
via Penang bridge	60,000	22,000	10,000	32,000
via ferry	25,000	3,000	6,000	9,000
Total	85,000	25,000	16,000	41,000

Source: author
Note: estimates from annual traffic volumes (1996-2000)

The above figures show that the ferry service despite operating at minimum capacity carries at least 30 per cent of total passenger traffic between the island and mainland. This is remarkable as it indicates that there is a huge latent demand for ferry services that can be tapped with improvements in service quality and reliability. It is conceivable that with investments in infrastructure and fleet expansion, capacity can be restored to at minimum pre-1988 levels, when the ferry service was carrying around 30,000 passengers per direction per day. Assuming that this passenger traffic doubles in ten years, there will around 170,000 passengers per direction per day in 2010. An expanded ferry service and the existing bridge (and conceivably a light rail system as well can readily accommodate this traffic. With expansion of services to new locations and the introduction of fast passenger services, service capacity can be conceivably expanded to more than 100,000 passengers per day (the Hong Kong Star Ferry Company Ltd operates four services with 13 ferries carrying about 116,500 passengers per day). Technological developments such as electronic ticketing enable common ticketing and fare integration between ferry and bus services. The potential for expansion of the ferry services as a vital component of a sustainable transport network for Penang cannot be overemphasized. 

A Second Crossing?

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Without going into a detailed discussion, it is fairly obvious based on the discussion so far that the proposed second bridge/tunnel will not be a policy option for a sustainable transport system as it will perpetuate and intensify private vehicle dependency. A light rail link is a far better option in terms of energy efficiency and ecological impacts. The most convincing argument for light rail is the tremendous difference in capacity that is made available for the amount of space that is taken up. Conservative estimates indicate that light rail can deliver at least 20 per cent more hourly capacity at 14 per cent less capital cost per kilometer compared to a six lane freeway.(27) If the ecological and social benefits are included, light rail is far superior to highways besides having a significantly longer life cycle. In the long term, an expanded ferry service and a rail link between the island and mainland (linked to a light rail system on the island and either a light rail or commuter train system in Seberang Perai) are more desirable options than the Second Crossing and the outer ring roads. There are various options of combining bus and rail systems that need to be explored in detail (and that have not been addressed by any transport study for Penang so far).

 Management of motorcycle traffic

Motorcycles for obvious reasons are by far the most important means of transportation in Penang today. They consist of 60 per cent of motor vehicles and account for 40 to 50 per cent of traffic on the major roads. Motorcycles are likely to be the principal mode of transport for most of the workforce and students in Penang and in fact have become the "poor man's car" as entire families of 4 to 5 persons (2 adults accompanied by children) can be seen on a single motorcycle. Unfortunately, motorcyclists pay a high price for this convenience and affordability as 70 per cent of deaths from road accidents in Penang involve motorcyclists. 

Despite the significance of motorcycle traffic, there is no policy for the management of motorcycle traffic at national nor state level. The current laissez faire approach is dictated by political needs as any measure to restrict motorcycle traffic is bound to have serious repercussions (and rightly so as there are no other viable options for the non car-owning population). The challenge then is to convince motorcyclists to switch to public transport to enhance their safety and comfort levels and at the same time not increase their daily transport expenditure. If there is an efficient bus/rail system and adequate park-and-ride services from residential areas to places of work and schools, there are no compelling advantages in using motorcycles. The trick then is to use a combination of pricing strategy and efficient public transport services to convince people to leave their motorcycles at home.

 Bringing back bicycles and trishaws

Bicycle and trishaw traffic is declining at alarming rates and will become extinct if no measures are taken to plan and provide infrastructure and policy support. There are compelling reasons for promoting cycling and trishaws as energy efficient and ecologically friendly modes of transport. Trishaws especially are a cultural icon of Penang and their potential remains mostly untapped. There has been no policy change for trishaws since 1969! The usual arguments against trishaws are that they obstruct vehicle traffic, have become obsolete and have no role in a modern transport system (the on-going struggle of pedi-cab drivers in Jakarta is a good example of this sort of official thinking). Similar arguments are put forward against cyclists as well including the disdainful attitude that the Malaysian weather is not suitable for cycling and walking (despite there being no dramatic worsening in climatic conditions since the 1960s!). Cyclists and trishaws need to be promoted and encouraged as important components of a sustainable transport system and there is no better place to start then reviving their use in schools through establishing sustainable transport clubs and safe cycling routes to schools.

 Traffic demand management

There is plenty of literature on traffic demand management measures and the benefits of such measures.(28) However, the successful experience of Singapore in traffic demand management (and integrated transport planning) offers many valuable lessons for Penang. Firstly, demand management measures will only be acceptable if there are viable and affordable alternatives. Second, there must be in place a system of incentives for people to choose public transport and disincentives for people to drive or ride their own vehicles. Single occupancy vehicles in Penang constitute almost 70 per cent of total traffic on critical routes and obviously these should be the first target of any demand management initiatives. Third, employers have to be brought in to play a critical role in ensuring the success of demand management initiatives such as car-pooling and ride sharing. The opportunities for traffic demand management have increased tremendously with the availability of ITS and the use of the Internet. The problem really is that the authorities are overly fearful of any traffic demand management measures especially since they are unable to provide transport choices. However, the public will certainly be more receptive to demand management measures if there is greater transparency and consultation over all aspects of transport planning. Having said that, the brightest opportunities for transport demand management in Penang are in the industrial zones and car pooling initiatives can be immediately explored.

 Integration of landuse, transportation and environmental planning

The interactions between transport and landuse and the impacts of one on the other have not been adequately addressed in any transport plan except for projecting vehicular traffic demand as a derivative of landuse and employment. The location of large traffic generators such as shopping centres and hypermarkets in already congested locations exacerbates traffic congestion. Despite the requirements for a Traffic Impact Assessment to be submitted and approved for major development projects, many new projects (especially high rise residential projects) do not provide adequate road access and parking facilities resulting in indiscriminate parking of vehicles along nearby residential roads. The existing town planning regulations and municipal guidelines for development control are insufficient to address the needs of public transport users, pedestrians and cyclists. 

However the more pertinent issue is the sustainability of existing landuse development patterns. The current road network plans are designed to spread urbanization to all corners of the state without any efficient pattern. This development trend is clearly leading to urban sprawl. The option of establishing higher densities around public transport hubs for example in places such as Bayan Baru and Air Itam and reducing the need to commute is widely seen as the way to plan for the future. For Penang, the existing town planning system has to be modified to establish a hierarchy of sustainable communities where walking and cycling will be the major modes of travel for short shopping and recreational trips. # 

References

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