Trams will not work for Penang

As a frequent visitor to Penang, I've always loved the rich cultural and historical heritage of the island if not for the traffic jams that tend to spoil my excursions. Most of the time, a lot of careful planning is required when thinking about the best time to drive out and which parts of the state to avoid. This has become very tedious. The Penang Transport Master Plan is an obvious solution to the traffic congestion problems. Question is how? I hear of protests against the Pan-Island Expressways (PIL) and LRT, but the alternatives offered, one of them being tram systems, sounds outrageous to me.
While the concept of trams can be romantic, I cannot imagine what with the already limited space on Penang island, how much improvement will there be for traffic when special lanes would need to be allocated for trams. Will these trams be popular with the general public? Or would it be patronised only by weekender tourists? Can this tram operate for long hours and satisfy the Malaysian habit of being up and about any time of the day? Would the tram be regular and fast enough to meet the impatient, fast-paced lifestyles of Penangites? We do not know, but what we are certain of is that, with highways and LRTs, which has been the common, tried and true mode familiar to Malaysians, the chances of them being maximised upon opening is higher. We do not have the luxury of what would take years to change user commuting behaviour as Penang continues to wallow in its daily gridlock.
Decision makers would need to find the sweet spot between addressing immediate problems in Penang now and planning for future growth.
Pang
Kuala Lumpur