University of Hong Kong’s urban design expert, Associate Professor Alain Chiaradia, said HK’s high public transport uptake was thanks to low car ownership despite its huge population.

But in Penang, says Chiaradia, it’s the other way around.

“HK is not a model for other cities to follow because it has extreme configurations in terms of town planning, which is unlike any other city in the world,” he said at a talk at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Housing, Building and Planning yesterday.

“It is unlikely Penang can develop like Hong Kong, because where you are now, you are already too late. There are already one million cars in Penang.

“In HK, we have barely 600,000 cars and there is a population of 7.5 million.”

He said what Penang needed to do was to cut down the number of cars to 70,000.

Chiaradia said a bus rapid transit (BRT) system could be the best fit for Penang island if a mass rapid transit or a similar rail system proves to be too expensive.

“Do what is feasible and see what public transport people would use,” he said.

Penang’s current population is 1.77 million, according to government estimates for 2018, 700,000 of whom are on the island.

It was reported that there are more than one million cars in the state, with a transport expert putting the vehicle-to-population ratio at 1:39.

Chiaradia was asked about Penang’s apparent eagerness to follow HK in its development, including in managing construction of buildings on hill slopes.

Last month, responding to critics who accused the Penang government of ignoring the environment, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Hong Kong would not have been developed if it took heed of its critics and stopped development projects following disasters.

Chow said Hong Kong was technologically-advanced to build even on the steepest slopes.

But Chiaradia dismissed the notion that HK has had its hills developed.

He said only 25% of HK was built up, while 75% consisted of hilly slopes.

Chiaradia said not all hills in HK were conducive for development and, in reality, were difficult to develop.

He said while it is true that HK’s hill management is very well managed, the cost of doing so was very expensive, which commensurated with the high prices of properties.

“HK had catastrophes in the beginning with typhoons and monsoon seasons as well.

“Can you afford a management system for the slopes?

“Every slope is managed with proper identification and expenditure is high. It is really expensive there. Can Penang afford it?”

The Penang government had said it would form a geotechnical unit such as the one in HK, following the Bukit Kukus landslide in Paya Terubong recently which killed nine people involved in a hillside road project.

Chiaradia said no city should look up to HK as a model city.

He said cities should come up with their own tailor-made plans for development and transport, best suited for their needs and situations.

He said HK was not perfect and had its fair share of weaknesses.

He said “liveability” was low due to the high population density. Public transport, despite being one of Asia’s best, had issues as it could be too concentrated in one particular area.

“Anyone that takes HK as a model… they are comparing things that cannot be compared, it is an incommensurable comparison.

“It might look good from far but when you get close, it is not that great.”