‘Green Lane’ no longer to be green?

There has been increasing concern in Penang  over the moves by the MPPP to widen Jalan Masjid Negeri by eliminating many of the trees which dot the stretch. These trees, along a road which was once aptly named Green Lane, have long been part of the natural heritage of the island. Understandably, the proposed move to replace the current  lush ambience of the whole area  with  more tar and concrete has evoked widespread disquiet.

The  decision to embark on this mode of alleviating traffic congestion has been undertaken without any proper public consultation whatsoever. Regrettably, this tendency to ignore public opinion is fast becoming a consistent pattern of behaviour by the local and state authorities. Not only controversial road widening measures, but even mega-projects such as the proposed underground tunnel link between the island and the mainland are being undertaken without proper   consultation.

However, although the decision to implement this road widening project has apparently been made, in an attempt to assuage  public concern, the authorities  have come up with an ingenious solution. The trees, we are now told, will not be cut down; they will be  ‘saved’ by being transplanted to another location! In a dialogue session with NGOs  and  residents  on 30 November, MPPP Engineering Department  deputy director A. Rajendran  said that some 62 trees will be relocated and a mere 18 trees will remain. In short, more than two-thirds of the current trees will disappear from their present location.

CAP’s most charitable response to this so-called solution is that it misses the wood for the trees!

Firstly, the immediate issue is not whether the trees will be cut down or transplanted. It is the preservation of the green environment of the area. It is little comfort to learn that the trees are being transplanted rather than cut down. The real concern is the destruction of the greenery and ambience of the area just to accommodate a few more motor vehicles.

Secondly and more important is the larger issue of traffic  control and management. It has become an article of faith of the current administration that the problem of traffic congestion can be solved by simply widening  roads. This flies in the face of the conclusions of countless studies conducted all over the world which have demonstrated the futility of such an exercise. Far from alleviating the congestion (except for a short spell of time), the widened roads, by attracting more motor vehicles, will soon become congested again. Many of the studies undertaken on this issue were conducted in countries which have not experienced the  sort of exponential growth  in motor vehicles that Penang has. Penang, with its 1.6 million inhabitants, has over 2 million motor vehicles-more motor vehicles than human beings! . The number of vehicles has been growing annually at 9% in contrast to the 2% population growth per year. Given this dramatic increase in vehicle numbers, any respite from the widening of the road will be shortlived.

Even if the authorities are not prepared to consider the historical experience of other countries, we urge them to consider the lessons  to be drawn from our own experience, specifically from an earlier widening of Jalan Masjid Negeri.  Until the 1970s this road was only half its current width. (In fact, the original  edge of the road  was where the  divider in the present road centre stands. The trees originally  standing  on the road edge  were slated to be cut under the road widening scheme, but were spared, thanks to public protests, by allowing  them to remain on the  divider.) Despite the initial success of the road widening, it has now become apparent that this was only a short-term solution. If it is now clear that even doubling the road width does not resolve the problem, why are the authorities now embarking on another bout of road widening, this time of a lesser dimension but with huge costs to the environment? And when the beneficial effect of the current  road widening exercise  reaches its limit, what will the authorities do next? Turn Jalan Masjid Negeri into an autobahn? When will our authorities ever learn?

CAP calls on the authorities to leave the trees along Jalan Masjid Negeri alone. If any of the trees have decayed, then any replacement should be on the same location as the original trees. The relevant authorities should also pay more attention to preventing tree decay rather than finding excuses for tree cutting.

As for the traffic problem, thus far, the authorities have only paid attention to the supply side of the traffic equation and not the demand side. That is, unless the authorities have the political will to decrease the usage of private vehicles through higher parking charges and imposition of fees for road usage particularly during peak hours, merely widening roads is a futile exercise.  The authorities must look for holistic long-term solutions and seriously implement the Penang Transport Master Plan.

Letter to the Editor, 3 December 2012