How the PIL 1 relieves congestion on the Penang Bridge

In this article, AnakPinang would like to point out why constructing the Pan Island Link 1 will lead to reducing congestion on the (first) Penang Bridge and smoothen traffic flow throughout Penang Island. To understand this, let's take a look at our present situation.

Some ten years ago, in 2008, someone who has opposed the construction of the Second Penang Bridge gave ten reasons why it is not a good idea, and when the bridge opened, he predicted that the new bridge would add traffic congestion on Penang Island.

Fast forward to 2018, and we can see that what was predicted has not materialised. Through simple observation, at any time of the day, we can see that traffic volume on the first Penang Bridge is always higher than that on the Second Penang Bridge, Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, and the impact of traffic arriving from the Second Bridge is minimal compared to that arriving from the first. It can also be observed that the Second Penang Bridge is under utilised, whereas the first Penang Bridge continues to be over burdened. During peak periods, there are regular crawls on both sides of the Penang Bridge, whereas the Second Penang Bridge remains largely free of congestion for much of the day.

Why is it so, and what does it tell us?

The first thing we can deduce is that the majority of bridge users continues to prefer to use the (first) Penang Bridge. The second thing we can deduce is that most of the traffic from Penang Island is heading to places on Seberang Perai that are north of the immediate vicinity of the Second Penang Bridge.

If you are going from George Town, Pulau Tikus, Air Itam, Tanjong Tokong or Jelutong, and you need to go to somewhere north of the Penang Bridge on the mainland, such as Butterworth, Bagan Ajam, Penaga or Kepala Batas, which of the two bridges would you use? Obviously, the first Penang Bridge is the more logical choice, given the distance is shorter.

If you are going from George Town, Pulau Tikus, Air Itam, Tanjong Tokong or Jelutong, and you need to go to somewhere just slightly south of the Penang Bridge on the mainland, such as Perai, Bukit Mertajam, Bukit Tengah or Juru, you would still consider using the first Penang Bridge, because the Second Penang Bridge is just too far south to be practical.

If you are going from George Town, Pulau Tikus, Air Itam, Tanjong Tokong or Jelutong, and you need to go somewhere far south, such as Simpang Ampat, Nibong Tebal, Taiping, Ipoh or Kuala Lumpur, you have two choices: the first and the second bridge. But either way, you still have to pass through the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, and if you make your trip during rush hour, you will have to crawl through the congestion haemorrhaging around the first Penang Bridge.

Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway is the only access-controlled route to both the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. In fact, it is not even a fully access-controlled expressway (not like the North-South Expressway), so despite arguments from some critics that we already have too many highways in Penang, the truth is, we do not have a single fully accessed-controlled expressway on Penang Island. Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah is a local road, and of course it is not access controlled.

Only when you start your journey on Penang Island from somewhere south of the Penang Bridge, such as Sungai Dua, Relau, Bayan Baru or Bayan Lepas, and your destination is south of the Penang Bridge, such as south of Juru, does using the Second Penang Bridge start to become a possible option. However, as all traffic to the Second Penang Bridge has to go through the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, it adds to the congestion of those using the first bridge. And that explains why the traffic volume on the Second Penang Bridge is always lower than on the first.

By constructing the Pan Island Link 1 Highway, and adding interchanges at vital locations, we siphon traffic away from the main stretch of the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway. Once this highway is completed, people in places like Tanjong Tokong, Pulau Tikus, Air Itam, Farlim, Paya Terubong, whose previous choice has been to use the first Penang Bridge, now finds the Second Penang Bridge to be of a more practical option, given that they can now bypass the congestion in the vicinity of the first bridge.

For every vehicle that we remove from the congestion around the first Penang Bridge, and move it to the second, we relieve the traffic jam that we are currently experiencing. This leads to a more even distribution of vehicles, and will result in faster travel, shorter travel time, reduction in fuel consumption, and reduction in exhaust emission. And it's all made possible with the construction of the Pan Island Link 1.