Penang CM says Penangites' only respite from traffic is to change the government in Putrajaya.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said BN had yet to show any concrete plans to ease traffic congestion on the island, despite past promises of building a LRT network.
GEORGE TOWN: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Barisan Nasional’s plans to cancel the undersea tunnel project and reclamation projects in their election manifesto showed they had no genuine plans to alleviate traffic or even provide decent public transport for Penangites.
He said after promises of a monorail and Light Rail Transit (LRT) system by the federal government never took off, the Penang government had to find ways to self-finance such projects.
“But when we reclaim land to finance our own public transport, they try to sabotage us.
“The BN has no way of alleviating traffic and has no sound plans to do so. What are their alternative plans?
“They are completely blind to see the real problems faced by Penangites. They want us to choke to death in traffic.
“Of course, the deputy prime minister can summon a helicopter to pick him up and skip the traffic on the Penang Bridge. Can the regular folks or even myself do that?
“The BN is only interested in scoring political points,” Lim told FMT when contacted.
When asked about the compensation that would likely be incurred by BN if the tunnel and reclamation projects are cancelled, Lim said: “They have the money to pay. From other sources?
“BN is a do-nothing party that only knows how to sabotage our plans for LRT, not just on the island but also on the mainland.
“Clearly, only by changing the government in Putrajaya can Penangites get a respite from traffic congestion,” he said.
Lim had previously said the undersea tunnel was needed as the Penang Bridge will reach its capacity by the time the tunnel completes its construction in 2027.
The federal government first promised a monorail system for Penang in 2007, under former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In 2012, PM Najib Razak promised to build a LRT system as part of a BN election promise.
Earlier today, Penang BN pledged to cancel the undersea tunnel and roads project and the Penang South Reclamation Scheme, commonly known as the three islands’ project, if it wins Penang in the coming election.
Besides that, BN also pledged to resolve traffic congestion in three years, through a traffic dispersal plan and new interchanges at congested locations.
Under the Penang Transport Master Plan, highways, a LRT and a monorail line were to be built by the state government with the help of project delivery partner, SRS Consortium.
The undersea tunnel project is part of the Penang government’s initiative to alleviate traffic on the first bridge and to improve connectivity between George Town and Butterworth.
The three islands’ project was mooted to finance a LRT system on the island and the mainland. This came after years of pleading with the federal government for a LRT project went unheard.
During a visit to Penang, Najib said he “was not agreeable” with the proposed plan to reclaim three islands in the waters off the south coast of Penang island.
The reclamation was proposed as a means to fund the state government’s RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan. It calls for a tunnel across the North Channel from the island to the mainland, and three new highways.
The massive reclamation envisages commercial and industrial development.
The Penang government had previously said it would not go ahead with the reclamation project until the environmental impact assessment (EIA) is approved by the federal government.
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