THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is planning to implement a two-hour parking limit in congested areas facing a shortage of on-street parking spaces, particularly in George Town.
MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran announced the proposal during the swearing-in ceremony of 24 appointed councillors for 2025 at City Hall in Esplanade today.
“The growth in car ownership, with an average increase of 18.81% over the past five years, coupled with a total of 2.8 million registered vehicles in Penang and the influx of vehicles during weekends and holiday seasons, has resulted in severe traffic congestion at certain times,” Rajendran said in his speech.
“Infrastructure such as flyovers and underpasses is challenging to implement in Penang due to the narrow roads and the presence of buildings lining the streets. Most urban roads cannot be widened and have already been converted into one-way streets.”
MBPP plans to engage with stakeholders first, referring to it as “public empowerment.” Stakeholders will include residents, business operators, and property owners in the affected areas.
“We have already identified the congested areas and are considering a trial run in March or mid-year,” Rajendran said.
To improve public transport, MBPP will designate bus-only lanes in the targeted areas for the two-hour parking limit to ensure public buses run on time.
“We want to encourage people to use alternative modes of transport rather than their own cars in these congested areas. We have a good e-hailing service, and we are also providing free shuttle bus services around town, which we will continue to improve,” Rajendran explained.
He urged people to use their cars during off-peak hours to avoid congestion and parking issues.
Rajendran also stated that MBPP plans to collaborate with Rapid Penang to provide bus services to Penang Hospital, which is facing a serious shortage of parking. Currently, a free shuttle bus service runs every 10 minutes between Komtar and Weld Quay.
“Double parking and the loading and unloading of goods, especially in Weld Quay, are major contributors to traffic jams. We will assign personnel to these areas full-time,” Rajendran pointed out.
He emphasised that it is unfair for some people to park their cars for nine to 10 hours on the streets due to cheap parking rates, while others have to park in multi-storey car parks and pay higher fees.
“With the severe shortage of parking in some areas, the introduction of a two-hour parking limit is necessary. We cannot wait for gridlock to take action. We need to implement this in stages, and there will be more measures to follow,” Rajendran added.
He also mentioned that many roads in Penang have already been converted to one-way, and MBPP does not want to make major roads one-way due to the potentially serious impact on the public.
“The traffic volume on Penang Island is high, especially during the holiday season. Much of the congestion can be alleviated if people follow traffic regulations. Given the narrow roads, even a single vehicle parked haphazardly can cause a traffic jam, as seen in areas like Pulau Tikus, Weld Quay, and Jelutong,” Rajendran said.
Other MBPP proposals:
• Collaborating with Rapid Penang to improve existing public bus services and expand the free shuttle bus services to other congested areas, such as the outskirts of the city centre and the Penang Hospital area.
• Improving public transportation facilities.
• Upgrading pedestrian pathways and facilities to encourage walking longer distances.
• Restricting loading and unloading times on roads experiencing severe traffic congestion.
• Enforcing full-time action in areas where congestion is caused by driver behaviour that disregards traffic regulations, which disrupts the flow for thousands of road users and jeopardises road safety.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Law Suun Ting