RM 1b proposed paired road project not justified: Residents

GEORGE TOWN: Some residents of Tanjung Bungah think an RM1 billion paired road project should not proceed.
Tanjung Bungah Residents Association (TBRA) chairman Meenakshi Raman said the cost to save 14 minutes of travel time between the two areas was not justified.
She said the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report found those using the existing road take between 20 to 23 minutes.
She said the proposed project is expected to reduce travel time to nine minutes with commuters driving at an average speed of 70km per hour.
"This means there will be 14 minutes saved in travelling time but spending such a huge amount of public resources to save time will be a waste.
"It will not solve anything," she said at a press conference today, adding construction of the road will affect residents in the area.
Meenakshi added 400 residents have since signed a petition to scrap the project which was submitted to the Department of Environment (DOE) in July.
"We appeal to the DOE not to approve the project and urge the state to stop it," she added.
The project is one of three roads proposed by the state to resolve traffic congestion in their respective areas.
The other two are a 5.2km dual carriageway bypass from Bandar Baru Air Itam to Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and a 4.2km dual carriageway between the northern fringes of George Town to the eastern corridor of Penang island.