THE Penang Coastal Cycling Route and the Chowrasta Market, two projects under the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), have received the ‘Special Recognition for Public Facility’ in conjunction with the sixth annual PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) ceremony recently.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang received the two awards at the gala dinner ceremony at Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur on April 12. He was accompanied by MBPP Urban Services Department director Mubarak Junus.
He said the awards were in recognition of MBPP’s efforts in creating a green city through public projects.
“The Penang Bicycle Lane Master Plan was ready in 2011. It would consist of 200km of dedicated bicycle lanes in the island. This included the 180km of the lanes that had been completed at the Eastern Coastal Route and Northern Coastal Route, and the building of the Spiral Bridge, the first of its kind in Malaysia.
“The purpose of the dedicated lanes is to ensure the safety of cyclists from motor vehicle users. MBPP is now in the midst of planning to create more such lanes to make George Town into a ‘Cycling City’,” Yew said.
He added that besides enhancing the cycling networks, MBPP would also be maintaining them for the safety and comfort of the cyclists.
For Chowrasta Market, it was built in 1890 and then demolished in 1960s for reconstruction. In 2013, it was upgraded while maintaining its facade since it came under the Category II legacy building.
“Chowrasta Market is one of the oldest markets in Penang. During the upgrading works, we incorporated the eco-friendly factors to make it as the first market in Malaysia to obtain the Green Building Index (GBI),” Yew said.
What MBPP did was it installed a rain water harvesting system, laid two layers of roof to reduce heat, built a vertical green wall at the parking area behind the building, created a large opening in the building to enhance ventilation and natural lighting and used LED lamps to save power consumption.
“MBPP is honoured to receive the prestigious awards and appreciates the contribution of all the staff in realising the projects. MBPP will also continue to provide high standards of public amenities to benefit all levels of society,” Yew said.
Story by J. Kirrthana
Pix by Alissala Thian