The Yang diPertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas said the state needs better public transport systems to resolve growing traffic congestion and needs the cooperation of the federal government.

The governor of Penang today called on Putrajaya to approve the state’s application for tram and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems at his opening speech at the state legislative assembly sitting today.

The Yang diPertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas said the state needs better public transport systems to resolve growing traffic congestion and needs the cooperation of the federal government.

“Putrajaya needs to show a clear commitment to assist the state in implementing these systems by either funding these systems or allowing the state to run these systems on its own,” he said.

The state government had demanded that the federal government fulfil its promises to implement effective public transportation systems, namely the promised LRT.

Alternatively, the state has applied to the federal government for licences to run the tram, LRT or other types of public transportation systems together with the private sector.

Abdul Rahman said the state is yet to get any response to its applications.

The proposal to implement tram and LRT systems in the state is in line with Penang’s Master Transportation Plan.

Despite the lack of approvals from the federal government, Penang has called for proposals to conduct feasibility studies for a tram system.

On the tourism front, Abdul Rahman said the state government is focusing on Seberang Perai as a tourist destination.

“This is because the state has identified 36 locations as tourist spots which include historical buildings, eco-tourism packages and recreational areas,” he said.

He commended the state government’s ability to maintain Penang’s standing as the top draw for foreign direct investment.

Penang received RM19.7 billion in FDIs between 2010 and August 2013, roughly 20 per cent of the country’s total FDIs.

He also commended the Penang Water Supply Corporation for not implementing any water rationing despite the recent drought and supported its proposal to increase water tariff to encourage consumers to save water.

Abdul Rahman also said the state had allocated a RM11.2 million development fund for the maintenance and management of mosques in the state.

However, he is concerned over the delay in the construction of the RM70 million Sharia High Court building that started in 2011 and is yet to be completed.

“I hope the agencies involved in the project will ensure the project is completed soon,” he said.

Source: TheMalayMailOnline.com

A newly proposed mixed development by Bayan Capital Sdn. Bhd. in Sungai Nibong, Penang. It is strategically located along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, only a few minutes walk to Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal and the future LRT station. SMK Sungai Nibong, Phoy Tay High School, SRJK Shih Chung and Kwang Hwa are less than one kilometer away.

The proposed development will be development into four parcels:

• Parcel A
  24-storey condominium with 489 residential units. (33 units 900 sq.ft. @ RM400K)
• Parcel B
  24-storey condominium with 130 residential units. (97 units 850 sq.ft. @ RM300K, 33 units 750 sq.ft. @ RM200K)
• Parcel C
  20-storey apartment with a mixed of LMC and LC units.
• Parcel D
  14-storey commercial building, comprising 24 units of 3-level shoplots and a 224-rooms hotel

This project is still pending for approval. Details to be available upon project launch.

Project Name : (to be confirmed)
Location : Sungai Nibong, Penang
Property Type : Mixed development
Total Units: 619 (condo and affordable units),
Built-up Area: (to be confirmed)
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : Gembira Development Sdn. Bhd.

Location Map:

Which are the most popular property news portals in Malaysia? I have shared the top 8 last year and PenangPropertyTalk.com was ranked 5th based on the number of visits recorded in October 2015.

To find out how we are doing after six months, I went through the long list of property portals again and ranked them based on their web traffic data (SimilarWeb.com) for April 2016. Below is the latest list of top 20 property news portals in Malaysia:

The top positions hasn’t changed much over the past few months and we remains fifth in the list. However it is exciting to see a 30% increase in our web traffic over the past six months.

New in the list are DurianProperty.com.my, PropertyHunter.com.my and Property365.my, which have seen an increase in their advertising spending for web traffic over the past few months.

In case if you know any property news portal in Malaysia that we have missed out, check out their traffic using SimilarWeb’s traffic analytic tools and let us know if its website traffic is better than those listed here.

– Ken Lim
(Founder, PenangPropertyTalk.com)

Two major projects are in the pipeline to alleviate traffic congestion in the state, said state exco member Lim Hock Seng.

In his oral reply to Nordin Ahmad (BN-Bayan Lepas), he said the Bayan Lepas LRT and the Pan Island Link I Highway under the RM27bil Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) were scheduled to be carried out between 2017 and 2023.

The Bayan Lepas LRT willhave interchange stationsconnecting three more future LRT and monorail lines still on the drawing table.

The 20km Pan Island Link Highway will connect Gurney Drive and the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.

He said the project would be carried out by SRS Consortium, the appointed project delivery partner.

He added that three proposed islands have been planned on the southern tip of Penang island which are financial model to carry out the PTMP.

Lim said the proposed undersea tunnel and three paired roads would be carried out by Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd.

The 6.5km Penang Undersea Tunnel will connect north Butterworth to the Gurney Drive-Pangkor Road junction.

As for the three paired roads, Lim said it would be carried out in stages from 2016 to 2025.

The three paired roads are from Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang and Jalan Pangkor-Gurney Drivejunction to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.

“In fact, the paired road from Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Express-way to Air Itam can be carried out in June.

“Next year, it will be the road from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang followed by the one from Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Express-way to Jalan Pangkor-Gurney Drive in 2018,” he said.

On why the three paired roads could not be carried out simultaneously, Lim said some of the lands were not ready.

“Besides, we also cannot afford to pay lump sum for the roads. It is not feasible. That’s why we have to carry out everything in stages,” he said.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Ongoing developments in Batu Kawan townships has intensified with the opening of the Penang Second Bridge. The proposed BRT system is to link the mixed industrial-commercial and residential townships to the nearest KTM station at Simpang Ampat and also the Raja Uda–Bkt Mertajam monorail which terminates at Permatang Tinggi.

The proposed BRT line can potentially be extended to other areas:

• From Permatang Tinggi northwards to Seberang Jaya to serve the Permatang Pauh and Bukit Minyak catchment (including Universiti Teknologi Mara or UITM and Politeknik SeberangPerai); and also interchange with the Raja Uda–Bukit Mertajam Monorail.
• From Batu Kawan southwards to Nibong Tebal to serve the planned townships at Byram Changkat and interchange with KTM Komuter at Nibong Tebal.

Similarly, these identified transit corridors will be reserved as part of the State’s planning process.

* Click here to find out more about Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) *