I have been trying to assemble and arrange material on this topic for months. The only thing I felt lacking on this topic was my personal experience. So I figured I would wait for a few months first, accumulating my driving miles in Penang before I made my definitive statement. Well yesterday was the tipping point. Yesterday I felt like I had already experienced the worst traffic jam it could ever be in Penang and it was the perfect time to finish up this article.
I live in Butterworth and work in Bayan Lepas. During any normal Friday rush hour, the traffic would be horrible enough. But yesterday evening, the perfect storm happened. Multiple cars broken down and accidents along the highway from from my workplace all the way to Perai. From my office, I could see the jam started to form at around 17h. Waiting in office, in hope of sitting out the jam. I ate some, chit chatted with colleagues who were also waiting for the jam to clear up, and then I went to office gym. When I left the office at 21h, I thought it would be over. But guess what, it was still jammed! I finally reached home at 22h45, frustrated and exhausted.
I live in Butterworth and work in Bayan Lepas. During any normal Friday rush hour, the traffic would be horrible enough. But yesterday evening, the perfect storm happened. Multiple cars broken down and accidents along the highway from from my workplace all the way to Perai. From my office, I could see the jam started to form at around 17h. Waiting in office, in hope of sitting out the jam. I ate some, chit chatted with colleagues who were also waiting for the jam to clear up, and then I went to office gym. When I left the office at 21h, I thought it would be over. But guess what, it was still jammed! I finally reached home at 22h45, frustrated and exhausted.
I had not been in Malaysia for long period of time during the last few years. The first thing I needed to do after coming back to Malaysia was practicing driving. Although I got my driving license a few years ago, I rarely drive until now. I don't drive in France simply because there is no need to. Public transport and bicycle can get me almost everywhere I want to go.
In Malaysia, that's a different story. You are getting nowhere without a car. Public transport is just not well developed as demonstrated by Andrew Han in his video. He also pointed out that sometimes even the public transport is good, the city itself is not walkable. The walk to a bus stop is often enough highly dangerous, required some physical fitness, and adventurous but not in a good way. What I found out in KL is the same, people take the LRT, Monorail, etc.., but usually it ends with a car ride from the LRT station back to home, rather than walking. Walkability is a major problem. Bicycle is not an option either because : first, there is no extensive bicycle lane coverage; second, the mindset of the road users is still not ready to accept cyclists; and finally, even there are proper bicycle lanes, it concerns me that they would be misused by motorbikers.
In Oscar Boyson's very well-made video essay "The Future of Cities", one particular statement strikes me as a hard truth. He says : "When walking, cycling, and public transportation are the fastest ways to move, nobody feels like a second class citizen for not owning a car." Guess who are cycling to work every morning - foreign low cost workers in factories, who are considered as second class citizens in Malaysia. In fact in Malaysia, although nobody admits it publicly, the car you own represents your social status. Malaysians' craze about car brands like Mercedes Benz and BMW seems to be ridiculous to foreigners. I got a German friend. He had stayed in Malaysia for few months and he finds this craze about car brands from his own country rather amusing.
I deeply believe that the key to develop a better city is public transportation and walkability. After I first saw Jeff Speck's talk on TED, I am convinced by what so called "induced demand". Basically, it states that building more wider highways isn't going to relieve the traffic jam; on the contrary, it will worsen it. I used to live in a city where I can walk from one end to another without the concern of getting hit by a car. So I can immediately feel the difference when I am in KL. From a LRT station, I once tried to walk back to my uncle's house and I had to run across a highway because there was no other options. Highways are becoming the scars of KL and we are building more of them. In my opinion, the landscape of KL is beyond saving. The hope to convert KL a fully walkable city is very slim.
However Penang still has hope as it is not scarred by the web of highways yet. Looking at the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), with a lot of public transportation proposals, a walkable Penang seems very promising. But a plan is just a plan. The execution is what that matters. I see PTMP as two parts : one is the development of public transportation ; and another is the development of roadways. From here we can foresee a risk. The order of execution of these two parts is really important. If PTMP starts with the development of roadways, then it will fall into the blackhole of induced demand. Yes, the congestion will be relieved but only for a while. More roadways are built, the less walkable the city becomes, everybody then feels the need the use more cars. So more cars will inflow and quickly fill up the capacity of the new roadways. Then the congestion problem is back again! It is just a vicious cycle of frustration. So the development of public transportation should be the priority.
Everybody has dreams. I have many too. One of them is a zero congestion Penang. A zero congestion Penang needs to be walkable and for that, not only policy makers have to make wise decision, people of Penang have to change their mindset too. Public transport is not for second class citizens. Instead it is meant for everyone, the public. This is not a part of the PTMP. But I have a dream, a dream that one day I can cycle across Penang bridge to work.
In Malaysia, that's a different story. You are getting nowhere without a car. Public transport is just not well developed as demonstrated by Andrew Han in his video. He also pointed out that sometimes even the public transport is good, the city itself is not walkable. The walk to a bus stop is often enough highly dangerous, required some physical fitness, and adventurous but not in a good way. What I found out in KL is the same, people take the LRT, Monorail, etc.., but usually it ends with a car ride from the LRT station back to home, rather than walking. Walkability is a major problem. Bicycle is not an option either because : first, there is no extensive bicycle lane coverage; second, the mindset of the road users is still not ready to accept cyclists; and finally, even there are proper bicycle lanes, it concerns me that they would be misused by motorbikers.
A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars; it's where the rich use public transportation.
-- Gustavo Petro --
In Oscar Boyson's very well-made video essay "The Future of Cities", one particular statement strikes me as a hard truth. He says : "When walking, cycling, and public transportation are the fastest ways to move, nobody feels like a second class citizen for not owning a car." Guess who are cycling to work every morning - foreign low cost workers in factories, who are considered as second class citizens in Malaysia. In fact in Malaysia, although nobody admits it publicly, the car you own represents your social status. Malaysians' craze about car brands like Mercedes Benz and BMW seems to be ridiculous to foreigners. I got a German friend. He had stayed in Malaysia for few months and he finds this craze about car brands from his own country rather amusing.
I deeply believe that the key to develop a better city is public transportation and walkability. After I first saw Jeff Speck's talk on TED, I am convinced by what so called "induced demand". Basically, it states that building more wider highways isn't going to relieve the traffic jam; on the contrary, it will worsen it. I used to live in a city where I can walk from one end to another without the concern of getting hit by a car. So I can immediately feel the difference when I am in KL. From a LRT station, I once tried to walk back to my uncle's house and I had to run across a highway because there was no other options. Highways are becoming the scars of KL and we are building more of them. In my opinion, the landscape of KL is beyond saving. The hope to convert KL a fully walkable city is very slim.
However Penang still has hope as it is not scarred by the web of highways yet. Looking at the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), with a lot of public transportation proposals, a walkable Penang seems very promising. But a plan is just a plan. The execution is what that matters. I see PTMP as two parts : one is the development of public transportation ; and another is the development of roadways. From here we can foresee a risk. The order of execution of these two parts is really important. If PTMP starts with the development of roadways, then it will fall into the blackhole of induced demand. Yes, the congestion will be relieved but only for a while. More roadways are built, the less walkable the city becomes, everybody then feels the need the use more cars. So more cars will inflow and quickly fill up the capacity of the new roadways. Then the congestion problem is back again! It is just a vicious cycle of frustration. So the development of public transportation should be the priority.
Everybody has dreams. I have many too. One of them is a zero congestion Penang. A zero congestion Penang needs to be walkable and for that, not only policy makers have to make wise decision, people of Penang have to change their mindset too. Public transport is not for second class citizens. Instead it is meant for everyone, the public. This is not a part of the PTMP. But I have a dream, a dream that one day I can cycle across Penang bridge to work.
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