Penang BN slams DAP-led govt for worsening traffic congestion in the state

GEORGE TOWN: The traffic congestion here is shaping up to be among the worst in the country because there was utter failure on the part of the DAP-led state government to address the issue, said Penang Barisan Nasional (BN).
In firing a big salvo at the state under DAP, Penang BN chairperson Teng Chang Yeow said that instead of seeking to resolve the hot spot areas immediately, the state chose a long-term approach of trying to build an undersea tunnel and the three paired highways which would be linked to the main expressway – the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu – which snakes from George Town to Bayan Lepas.
Teng told a press conference that the hot spots were in Bayan Baru (Jalan Tengah - Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah), Bayan Lepas (Free Trade Zones), Batu Lanchang, Air Itam, Jalan Sungai Pinang and roads in George Town.
On the mainland, he cited the Juru Auto City interchange areas besides roads leading to Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Jaya and Nibong Tebal.
Teng said that with more road users expected on the roads in the next few years, a DAP-led state would only make things worse as it likes to blame others instead of shouldering the responsibility to offer solutions.
Another thing which Teng pointed out was that the proposed three paired highways would bring all the traffic on the island to the sole expressway.
"It will worsen the flow for the expressway as all cars would converge there. There is no proper study made."
The state had spent close to RM3 million to conduct a feasibility study of the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel but nothing concrete has emerged from it.
"If we had spent some of the money on resolving the problems in the hotspots, things would have been better in terms of traffic management here."
Teng also pointed out that the traffic system is not fine tuned to accommodate the flow and increase in the number of vehicles.
For some roads, there are close to three pedestrian crossings, hampering traffic from flowing smoothly and in one case, they had used an outdated model of a zebra pedestrian crossing which was last used in the 1990s.
"There is no proper planning – period."