PHT Newsletter Issue 94

Public Transport:
How Trams and Buses Can Work Together

At a public transportation seminar sponsored by Rapid Penang Sdn. Bhd. at the Dorsett Hotel on 14th October 2008, Australian consultant Ric Francis* outlined his views on how transport in the historical area of George Town could operate.

Francis argued that it was a myth that trams were traffic congesting vehicles requiring ugly overhead wiring that could not do the same job as diesel buses. He said that as a UNESCO listed historical city George Town needed to have vehicles that blend in and cut down the pollution which is destroying the old buildings. He discussed the concept of "passenger islands" at all tram stops which would be friendly to the disabled and elderly. Access to these islands would be controlled by traffic lights to allow passengers cross over to each side of street.

Francis said that in the plan he had proposed to the State Government was the use of old buildings of historical value for tramway buildings. For example, the old Market Building near the city centre could be used as the tram shed to store trams. The old tramway sub-station in Pitt Lane could be restored and used as a power station.

The Central Area Transit Service (CATS) proposed by Francis envisages the Tramway built in four stages with an outer area and an inner area. In the outer area large buses could run in opposite direction to trams to Weld Quay, while on certain roads in the inner area only mini-buses would operate in opposite direction to trams.

Francis mentioned that in a series of site visits the Minister for Transport had responded favourably to the idea of a Park & Ride station for Express buses. On inspection of the sites, his reaction was also positive to the proposed use of the old Market Building as a tram-shed and the restoration of the old Tramway sub-station in Pitt Lane to it former use.

Francis also briefly discussed the Penang Hill Railway which has been out of service for several weeks for repairs. He said he was not sure whether any of his suggestions regarding the Penang Hill Railway were accepted by the authorities.


* Ric Francis, co-author of Penang Trams, Trolleybuses & Railways: Municipal Transport History 1880s - 1963, Areca Books, Penang, 2006.