Cancel PIL 1 for our children’s sake

WHILE Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow is to be commended for making an effort to again display the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) for public viewing, nonetheless, it will be a waste of time if the CM fails to investigate the veracity of the data used.

No matter how many times the PTMP is displayed, the public will still cast doubt on the data and independence of the PTMP. The PTMP has become a model of choice rather than an independent model with a scientific basis.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke has advised the state government to look into alternative transportation other than the LRT.

Penang just does not have the ridership to sustain a low fare for the LRT to make it affordable for the majority.

The Penang Island Link (PIL) 1, a six-lane elevated highway, will destroy Taman Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (youth park) and lead to the cutting down of many old trees that may result in future flash floods in more areas.

It is important to note that a mature tree has an absorption rate 60 times that of normal plants.

The youth park should be a place to relax and breathe in fresh and clean air. The PIL 1 would substantially increase toxicity levels and destroy the youth park on the pretext of solving traffic congestion in Penang. PIL 1 is not building for the next generation but killing the next generation.

The toxicity of the elevated highway along Gottlieb Road / Bagan Jermal Road would have a more serious consequence.

It is particularly worrying that several kindergartens / schools will be in the air pollution hotspot – raising fears for the health of the children, some as young as three years old.

Those children would be exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for long hours whilst in school.

The long-term effect on these schoolchildren would be disastrous. High levels of NO2 produced by the heavy volume of cars plying the six-lane highway can inflame the lining of lungs, reduce immunity to infections and increase the exacerbation rate of asthmatic schoolchildren.

The PIL 1 has to be cancelled to ensure that they can breathe clean air and grow healthily.