Penang Institute comments the Penang Transport Master Plan

Penang Institute welcomes this opportunity to provide comment on the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) proposals which have recently been shared with us. We hope that the following comments are taken in the spirit intended and we welcome an opportunity to discuss the issues raised further.

We commend the State for taking a bold and ambitious approach to the development of new transport infrastructure and would welcome an opportunity to help shape proposals so that they deliver optimal outcomes for Penang now, and far into the future.

The Penang Transport Master Plan provides an opportunity for Penang to significantly raise the development trajectory, but also offers an opportunity to leapfrog the mistakes of the West, and pursue a sustainable development path that will place Penang at the forefront of city development, making Penang a truly international and intelligent city.

The following analysis and recommendations for the PTMP were submitted by Mr. Stuart MacDonald, Head of Urban Studies of the Penang Institute on 21 December 2015. They are reproduced here in their entirety as submitted.

The Three Worlds of Cycling

There are three “worlds” of cycling — and perhaps surprisingly they have very little to do with each other.

Two are much appreciated by those who practice them and are quite easy to do.

While the third often appears to be close to impossible. But it is far more important than the rest combined and multiplied by a thousand.

Let’s have a look. (And pleas also check out the critical comments that follow.)