PSM central committee member Choo Chon Kai said the state should start charging motorists entering congested areas during morning and evening rush hours.
“Unpopular decisions have to be made for the sake of our future,” he told a news conference today.
He said instead of building a light rail transit (LRT) system that might not have enough riders to sustain it in the long run, permanent bus lanes might be a better way to start.
Choo said traffic congestion happened due to people travelling to and from work, so the workforce should be encouraged to take the bus.
The problem, however, is the low frequency of buses, especially during early morning and evening rush hours, he said.
Choo said since Pakatan Harapan had won at the federal level, it would be easier to get the federal-run bus service RapidPenang to operate more frequently.
“With a permanent bus lane and more frequent buses during peak hours, more Penangites will be able to leave their cars behind to take public transport.
“Most of the time, the traffic issue arises during morning rush hours and the drive home after work. Let us work on that, rather than building highways which will end up congested again, anyway.
“Highways would give more reason for people to use their cars rather than public transport.
“We say scrap the highway projects and let’s improve our bus system,” he said.
Bus use has seen a sizeable increase of late after the Penang government chartered RapidPenang buses to serve different towns to reduce traffic.
The free bus programme, dubbed Congestion Alleviation Transport or CAT, has ferried 830,763 people in just three months since April 1 this year.
The highest number of riders were in Air Itam, with 724,483 passengers, according to a recent reply in the state assembly.
The service is currently available in 11 towns in Seberang Perai and the island, with the Penang government planning to showcase it to Putrajaya as a success story so that it can be replicated in other states.
The Penang government, however, has bigger plans for the state as it is eager to embark on a RM47 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), which will see highways, LRT lines and other modes of transport implemented in the years to come.
Civil society has rallied against a highway project as part of the PTMP that would require tunnelling through hills and crossing granite fault lines which might trigger large earth movements.
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