Starting in Jalan Burmah, the suburb’s longest road, the project will take place over five phases along the 1.3km stretch from Jalan Gottlieb to the corner of Codrington Avenue.

The first phase is nearly complete. A new mini-park is taking shape next to a blind-friendly sidewalk opposite Burmah House and will extend up to Lorong Pulau Tikus.

Next to the sidewalk, seven plants of Thai and Malaysian variety will be planted at this mini-park, to reflect the Siamese community’s history in Pulau Tikus.

Under existing angsana and ‘jemerlang laut’ trees, L-shaped timber benches and tables will be placed, adorned with tiles.

A row of three swings will be placed there, with bicycle hoops to lock bicycles.

A special concrete pavement by the firm Lafarge will be also be built at the park. The material is able to soak up rainwater,

A life-sized bullock cart “3D puzzle steel sculpture” will be placed there, too. It is to mark the heritage of the road, traced through its Hokkien name “Gu Chia Chui”, which means “water on bullock carts”.

In the early 1800s, Burmah Road was primarily used for the transport of water from the water tanks located at the end of the road to George Town. The fresh water was sourced from the waterfall at the Botanic Garden and placed in water tanks in Burmah Road.

Bullock carts were then used to transport them to town.

This first phase costs RM150,000 and will be borne by the Pulau Tikus Assemblywoman’s service centre and ThinkCity.

ThinkCity is a Khazanah Nasional Berhad subsidiary, specialising in urban renewal in George Town, Butterworth, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

At a press conference today, Yap said the first phase, measuring 6,400sq ft in front of Baskin Robbins, which began earlier this month, was slated to be ready mid next month.

She said nearly 500 Pulau Tikus residents were surveyed and the majority wanted more space to walk and exercise, and parks to relax in.

“Parks need not be squares or a big piece of land. We can achieve the same by re-purposing existing land into mini parks.

“These parks will soften the look of our streets, making Pulau Tikus more livable for all,” Yap said.

Meanwhile, ThinkCity executive director Hamdan Abdul Majeed said the project could be a model for other places to adopt.

“This project will be a model street where cars and people can co-exist.

“I agree that public spaces need not be parks or designated spaces, it could also be the streets that you are walking on, and creating spots within the streets to become spaces to relax.

“It allows for more usable space, it’s not just for cars to pass through,” he said.

The remainder of the four phases will be carried out in stages along Jalan Burmah as follows: Phase 2- in front of Tan Mark Book Centre; Phase 3 – in front of Belissa Row; Phase 4 – in front of Immaculate Conception Church; and Phase 5 – near the Jalan Brown junction.

Yap said the other phases would be carried out when funds were made available. She expects the project to be completed by mid 2017.