THE first comprehensive study on Penang’s 2010 - 2030 Transportation Master Plan is expected to be ready next year.
The tender for research to draft the plan will be called once the State Financial Office approves the terms of reference.
Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said various government bodies were given until March 1 to give their feedback on the terms of reference draft submitted by the Public Transport Council (PTC) and technical committee.
“It took about six months to prepare the draft.
“The next stage is to prepare the tender document. Hopefully, the tender will be called by the end of the month or early April.
“Once the consultant is appointed, it will take about a year for the master plan to be ready.
“The consultant will have to study various aspects including public transportation, land use and traffic management,” he said.
He said the research into the impact of the Second Penang Bridge was particularly important to the master plan.
PTC member K.M. Lee said the transportation master plan would be the first for the state.
“Other studies have been about specific areas but this will be the most comprehensive one to date.
“The tender will be open for both local and international consultants. Whoever selected won’t be starting from scratch because we already have previous data and surveys to work with.
“What is needed is to update the data and to fill in the gaps,” he said.
He said the consultant would have to consider the suitability of the best public transportation option for the state and make its recommendation.
“The feasibility of public buses, monorail, light rail transit and tram will all have to be studied to find the most suitable and cheapest mode of transport for the people.
“The consultant will also have to formulate new roads and solutions to decongest existing ones,” he said.
He said the PTC website would be launched next week.
“The PTC is an advisory body and we want to inform the public of our activities as well as get their feedback,” he said.
TheStar
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