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Ric Francis : Tram- the way to go for inner city of George Town
8 November 2006 - 1:29am
Cover of book by Ric Francis
Ric Francis who wrote a popular book on trams(electric buses run on surface rails) and other diverse modes of public transports in Penang's history, was in Penang on Nov 7th to give a talk -and his advocacy for trams went down well with the enthusiatic audience at the PHT (Penang Heritage Trust) hall. Ric's reasons are compelling :A substantial part of the cost in installing trams lines ie the rails had all been laid before albeit below the roads' surface now. All we need is to dig them up -as done in upper Penang Rd.
The other good reasons : trams are pollution free -being run on electricity. There is no pollutants -not even the sound. I remember trams in Melbourne had to install bells to alert pedestrians to their presence! They will do much good to clean up the city and improve public health.
For something so good -they actually come very cheap-at no more than US1mil -if George Town were to resurrect the entire trams system which ran until 1930's, when it was taken over by trolley buses (electric buses run on wheels -which was in turn taken over by diesel buses in 1950's.) The power of the trams is centrally generated and conveyed to the vehicles via overhead wires and the metal rails. The electricity used is DC-which gives smooth operations.
Due to this design the trams only carry a light weight DC motor on each unit -making maintenance and operation costs extrememly low. Low fares are thus possible on trams and still make the operation viable/ profitable for the operators!
Since the trams run on rails their floors are very low and people friendly. They are also heritage friendly since trams are small /narrow enough to pass through narrow streets where cars and buses can't.
So : only oil industries and tyres factories are unhappy about them! In Malaysia we need to also add crony bus operators !
Trams used to be more popular especially before the start of diesel buses. However there are still many cities which see the benefits of trams to retain them till today eg Melbourne, Toronto, Hong Kong, among others. In comparison to LRT it is run on surface rail -and thus avoid the climbing up and down which make LRTs less people friendly. Regular breakdowns of LRT -especially the driverless verity, don't help its publicity.
So trams are the way to go -anyone interested into starting a campaign to bring back the environment, economy, heritage and people friendly public transport for George Town please contact Penangwatch : penangwatch@gmail.com
Ric Fracis' book is available from PHT at RM50.00 each.
Report by:Ong BK
Comments
Ric's talk inspirational
Dear Friends,
I am gratified that the talk by Ric has elicited some
interest. There has been some response which I would
like to comment on (just to keep things on the boil).
1. I disagree with Tim that a tram service will add to
the transport chaos. This has not been the experience
elsewhere and indeed there is a strong move by many
cities to reintroduce trams. A good service can
displace a lot of the private cars that do so much to
clog our streets and add to the noise and pollution.
2. Leslie feels that we should try to justify this as
a tourist project. I agree if only because that seems
to be the flavour of the month, and may make it easier
to get the blessings of the government and attract
investments. Ultimately though it must be a means of
reducing our traffic congestion.
3. Anwar: do you remember the post graduate student
who came through Penang a couple of years ago on a
study of trams and trolley buses? He talked to you
and me. Can we contact him?
4. In my view the first thing we should do is to have
a technical and economic feasibility study done.
Unless we have something like it in hand, it will be
difficult to have meaningful discussions with anybody.
I am prepared to come up with a rough TOR for
comments.
5. We also have to think how we are going to pay for
the study. We can try to do it on a shoe-string, but
it will still run into the thousands.
Regards,
Ahmad
Trams without other public transports will add to congestions
Ahmad,
Well, actually it's not so much about agreeing as it is
about believing you. My exact words is not that "trams
will add to traffic chaos", but rather "trams WITHOUT a
complimentary transport system (ie subway/bus/LRT) will
add to traffic chaos."
As you mentioned that there has not been the experience
elsewhere, if you can provide me an example of a tropical
city the same size as Penang, which has a tram service
and NOTHING ELSE. That means, no excellent bus, no
LRT, no subway, then I shall believe. And everybody
happily leaves their cars at home - if there is such a
city, then let me know. Are you comparing Penang with
cities that ALREADY have an excellent public transport
system when they reintroduce trams?
Without an excellent bus, LRT and subway system, and if
you want people to leave their cars at home, the tram
needs to reach from Air Itam to George Town, as well as
to Bayan Lepas and Teluk Bahang, and places in between.
We also need parking bays at specific tram terminals,
so that people can leave their cars. Otherwise, we
need feeder bus system to transport passengers to specific
hubs. In some housing estates such as Farlim, Sungai
Ara and Island Glades, the distances from the deepest
house to the main road is more than 1 km. If they
can't drive and there's no bus to take them to the
tram, it would not be practical for commuters to walk
under the hot sun.
The speed of the tram needs to make a trip between say
Air Itam and George Town practical. If it takes two
hours to make that journey, then it defeats the purpose.
George Town was a much smaller place the first time we
had the trams. Now our metropolitan area reaches from
Gertak Sanggul to Batu Feringghi. Not all these places
are flat land.
Well, I want to agree, but I cannot believe it. So if
a feasibility study can convince me, then I shall believe.
Tim
Trams can sell as tourism attractions
Dear Ahmad,
That is exactly what I had in mind but failed to elaborate in the
interest of brevity. The way to attract government support and
investment would be to put the emphasis on tourism.
Another selling point, I think, would be the limited scale of the
project at least in the early stages. Ric was only suggesting the
restoration of trams based on the existing tracks (under the asphault)
along Weld Quay, Prangin Road and Chulia Street etc. The city would
still require a viable bus system elsewhere.
Regards,
Leslie
Feasiblity study for reviving George Town's Trams
Dear All,
I was very encouraged by Ric Francis's talk and by the
response. Is it possible for us to start by forming a
discussion group and try to formulate a consensus?
After which we can plan for a meeting.
It seems to me that starting a necessarily small tram
service in GT need not be a pipe dream. But if we are
to move it from being merely a vague plan we have to
ask some fairly tough questions. To my mind these are
some of the issues that has to be addressed:
i) Route ( Ric has made a recommendation, but do we
agree with it? )
ii) How much will it cost to establish and to operate?
iii) Traffic volumes?
iv) Where will the funding come from to establish and
to run it?
v) Can the service be financially self sustaining?
vi) Who will operate it? (Private company? MPPP? civil
groups?)
vi) Can we commission a study to establish the
technical and financial feasibility of the scheme?
Where do we get the money to pay for the study?
vii)Are we likely to get state and federal support,
without which the scheme is doomed to a still birth?
The questions are posed in no particular order of
imporance or urgency, but merely to provoke response.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Ahmad
Tourism sells better than public transport
Dear Ahmad,
Ric Francis's proposal is indeed thought-provoking and imaginative.
Although the restoration of trams would make a contribution to public
transit, emphasis should probably be put on the project's tourism
potential as much as, if not more than, on its public transport value.
You have suggested that a feasibility study be undertaken. This
would be crucial to moving the project forward and determining its
cost and viability.
Regards,
Leslie
Trams' limited value as public transports
Thought provoking, and need thorough thinking through.
A tram service will have as much public transport value
as the trishaw - that is to say, limited. My concern
is that the introduction of trams will worsen the congestion
on our already congested roads.
Let me say this with a dash of wishful thinking: if a
subway system can be put in place to divert traffic
underground, then this will free the roads above ground
for the consideration of a tram service. But as I may
stress, this is pure wishful thinking.
Tim
Tram must be part of a larger whole
Dear Tim,
Thank you for your comments. It is implicit that the
tram service, indeed any public transport service,
must be part of a larger integrated transport system.
It was never meant to a stand-alone project.
There is every indication that, like it or not, Penang
will be lumbered with an over-priced elevated light
rail system, that will terminate just outside the
inner city. With a bit of luck within 12 months we
should have a revamped bus service, which, hopefully,
will be better than the present dreadful service.
The question really is what transport system do we
have for the inner city. An underground is quite out
of the question on cost grounds alone, if nothing
else. If the elevated rail system is extended into the
inner city, even if it is possible, it will most
certainly sound the death knell for any pretensions
that we may have of being a heritage city.
That leaves the bus and the tram. Buses are fine for
the inner city, but it is also worth considering trams
, for the advantages that they offer over the internal
combustion engine. Not least trams have the additional
advantage of being attractive to tourists.
I really do not see how trams will cause any more
congestion than buses. Considering that trams can
carry more passengers than buses the opposite is
surely true.
I agree with you that by itself trams will not solve
our traffic problems. Like a lot of things there is no
magic solution. It is the nature of the problem that
it has to be solved painstakingly bit by bit.
On another point that you made. I don't think even the
most wild-eyed optimist among us is proposing a tram
service all the way to Bayan Lepas or to T Bungah.
Those areas are best served by buses or the LRT.
Regards,
Ahmad
Tuk-tuk to the rescue of Penang ????
Hi Admad,
Thanks for your input and the continuation of this
discussion. There is in fact one more cheap alternative
to bus, tram and trishaw that we can consider, and I
hope I won't shock you for suggesting it.
Tuk tuks! Yes, I have used Tuk tuks in medium-size
cities such as Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang and Siem Reap,
and I find that they are the most convenient option for
locals and tourists alike. They are faster than trams,
and they can negotiate through the narrowest of alleys.
Also they are cheaper and faster than trishaws, and is
able to be hired by the hour or by full days.
In addition to tuk tuks, our taxi service dreadfully
needs to be improved. We are light years behind cities
like Bangkok. A solution is to introduce a new taxi
company to compete directly with the existing. It is
shameful that Penang is being held hostage by its taxi
drivers, creating a Catch-22 situation.
Rather than basing our comparison with cities in developed
countries, we need to compare with our neighbours,
whose climate is similar to ours. I have tried out the
transportation of most cities in Southeast Asia and
here's my recommendation:
Hanoi: Terrible. Like us, they use trishaws which are
slow, expensive and not honest. No tuk tuk. Big thumb
down.
Bangkok: Good, despite the jams. There's the Skytrain,
MRT and an efficient taxis. Tuk tuk expensive and not
honest.
Medan: bechak, similar to our trishaws, thumbs down.
Taxis few.
Yogyakarta: bechak, same as Medan.
Bali: taxi, service okay, by the meter.
Singapore: MRT, good and cheap. Taxi quite expensive,
by the meter.
Chiang Mai: tuk tuk cheap. Taxis too few. No trishaws.
Luang Prabang: lots of tuk tuks. Cheap and good.
Siem Reap: lots of tuk tuks. Cheap and good, but must
bargain.
Phuket: lots of tuk tuks, but price getting higher and
higher.
As you can see, none of these cities used the tram. To
me, they are ornamentals that fit into the picture of
cities with already excellent public transport. They
are a good way for tourists to view the cities, but not
practical for locals who need to move around fast.
I know my suggestion of tuk tuks is neither the neatest
nor prettiest of solutions. But I have seen how practical
they are, and if need be, they should replace our trishaws.
And give taxis the badly needed competition.
Tim
Tuk Tuk -`cha chaa' (slowly!)
Dear Tim,
I hope you are not being whimsical, but tut tuts,in my
view, would not be suitable for Penang. Given the way
motor cyclists and trishaws behave with total
lawlessness on our roads, I can just imagine the
mayhem that tut tuts will cause.
Actually the tut tuts in Thailand are not too bad,
but they tend to drive too fast (thus making it
necessary for me to learn the only the Thai word that
I know: 'chaa chaa', which means 'slowly, slowly'),
but similar vehicles in the Indian cities are
down-right dangerous.
I really think that the option for George Town is
limited to either buses or trams.
REgards,
Ahmad
Hanoi abandoned Trams
Hanoi had an excellent narrow-gauge tram system in 1969 when I lived there and except for army jeeps and Party VIPs in chauffeur-driven limousines the only other form of transport was the ubiquitous bicycle. The city was pollution-free. The limos are still around as are many bikes but the trams have been abandoned in favour of buses and exhaust-polluting motor bikes and scooters.
Regards,
Leslie