A pedestrian-friendly George Town, one back lane at a time

GEORGE TOWN — The unkempt and inaccessible back lanes of George Town will soon be upgraded, beautified and opened up for easy access to pedestrians and cyclists.

Starting with three small lanes, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), together with Think City, plans to renovate these, upgrade drainage systems and widen them in accordance with the heritage zone’s Special Area Plan.

MBPP secretary Yew Tung Seang said the plan is to turn these back lanes into recreational and relaxation spaces for the residents and passers-by.

“Currently, some of these back lanes are blocked, dirty and dark, so we hope to open them up to make it easier for people to use them to access another road safely without using the main roads,” he said during an open dialogue with residents.

The opening up of these back lanes, which includes adding lighting, will turn them into easy and safe connections within the inner city for pedestrians and cyclists.

However, Mr Yew said the council wanted to engage the affected residents and homeowners through a dialogue session before implementing the project.

The MBPP selected three back lanes for its initial proposal: From Jalan Magazine to Jalan Gurdwara, from Jalan Cheong Fatt Sze to Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong, and from Lebuh Tamil to Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong.

All three lanes are located near the city centre around Komtar, where the state government’s administrative centre is located.

The proposed upgrades involve turning these spaces into gardens, open-air cafes, and creative art corners.

“We are now obtaining feedback from the stakeholders before implementation,” Mr Yew said.

The dialogue session was disrupted when a resident, Mr Lim Eng Chew, voiced safety concerns regarding the project.

“Have you asked Bomba? What happens when there’s a fire if you close up the lanes? How is Bomba going to get in? Is Bomba here today? You didn’t even ask Bomba,” he shouted, referring to the Fire and Rescue Department.

Mr Lim said he has lived there all his life and witnessed over 19 fires in the area.

“Do you know if some vehicle blocked the entrance, the Bomba couldn’t get in? I’ve complained to the council so many times about these vehicles blocking the lanes, but nothing was done,” he said.

He then continued telling the council in Hokkien that these back lanes are not spaces for “fancy cafes” and gardens, but are meant to be escape routes for residents in case of emergencies.

“These back lanes are for the people living there to get in and out, not for some project,” he said without waiting for Mr Yew to reply. Mr Lim was eventually ushered out of the meeting.

Mr Yew explained to the remaining stakeholders that the project will not close up the lanes or block access to the residents. “The project is to open them up, beautify them and upgrade the lanes for the people there,” he said.

Think City chief operating officer Neil Khor, who was also present, explained that the project would be similar to its pilot Armenian Street back lanes project in George Town.

“This is not just a beautification project but a larger upgrading project for the whole of George Town according to the Special Area Plan, and this also means improving the drainage system, creating a trench for the utilities so they don’t dig up the back lanes when conducting their repairs, and using special porous concrete to allow rainwater to drain faster,” he said.

In Think City’s Armenian Street Back Lanes project, Mr Khor said the non-government organisation worked with residents and stakeholders to get their participation. It was the first time the MBPP engaged the affected residents and homeowners on its planned upgrading project.

Mr Yew said resident engagement efforts would continue as a date for the start of the project has not been set. MALAY MAIL ONLINE