Eyes in the sky to tackle Penang’s traffic woes during LRT build

The Star

Normal traffic flow will soon be disrupted by the commencement of construction activities for the upcoming Mutiara LRT project, a federal-funded 29.5km LRT system with 21 stations that connects key areas of Penang Island and the mainland.   To ensure that traffic can still flow, SRS LRT has been collecting comprehensive traffic information using enumerators on the ground, as well as a fleet of drones to observe traffic.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00Music

00:10Every morning and evening, Penang's traffic congestion is a daily reality.

00:14Its roads are under daily strain with traffic building along the island's bridges,

00:18and rush hour turns commutes into gridlock.

00:21And soon, it will face a new challenge.

00:23The Mutiara LRT, a 29.5km light rail system with 21 stations connecting the airport,

00:32Georgetown and beyond, promises to transform how Penang guides travel.

00:36But first, the island must endure years of construction.

00:40Much of the rail line runs along the fringes of dense, heritage-rich neighbourhoods

00:44where road space is limited.

00:46Roads will be narrowed, lanes closed, and diversions created.

00:50Engineers say hotspots like Comtar, Magazine Road, Sunny Point and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah

00:56will face the heaviest impact.

00:58General Manager for SRS LRT Mohamad Faiz Daud said,

01:02while his team has experience building metros through urban areas,

01:06such as the Kajang MRT and Putrajaya MRT in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor,

01:10replicating the same on Penang does not mean that it is a walk in the park.

01:14In Penang, you have limited ROWs.

01:18Right and left is only the buildings.

01:20So you cannot acquire everything on the right and left.

01:23So what you have, your choice is only to put in the middle of the road.

01:27So when you put in the middle of the road, you are minimizing the existing lane.

01:32So this is how, what is the challenges to be.

01:36So this is why we introduce, you know, more robust,

01:41make sure that traffic is smooth during our construction.

01:49To ease the pain, SRS LRT is deploying eyes in the sky.

01:53Drones will monitor congestion in real time, track bottlenecks,

01:56and even alert emergency responders to accidents.

01:59Project Director for SRS Consortium Sendirian Berhad, Adil Putra Ahmad,

02:04says the vantage point provided by drones allows prompt actions to be taken.

02:08Flying these drones will require a permit and approval from CAAM,

02:13the Aviation Authority.

02:15So we have to apply for the permit.

02:17They give us a permit for certain period, for certain days.

02:20So our drone flight schedule follows that approval.

02:23Most of the time, we take the footage, get the drone to fly, take the footage,

02:27we come back and we analyze.

02:29And from there, we do our study.

02:31Okay, this one is the 3D photo that we also capture from drone.

02:35So we use this to study the possible options.

02:40And because it's 3D, then it's easier to see, you know.

02:44The value of drones is that they can provide real-time traffic monitoring

02:47to identify congested areas, map out traffic patterns,

02:51and detect potential bottlenecks by tracking how traffic flows.

02:55All this information flows into a hub called SATCOM,

02:58the Surveillance Enforcement and Traffic Command Center.

03:01Here, data from drones, ground sensors and government agencies

03:05is combined to manage traffic and even detect hazards such as flash floods.

03:10Beyond traffic studies and drone surveillance,

03:12engagement with the community has been central.

03:15From residents and factory operators to religious institutions,

03:19stakeholders are being consulted about construction schedules, noise, and disruptions.

03:24They say the work will be done until what time, until what time.

03:28They will do from start what time, until what time.

03:30They say noisy, dusty, but we say no problem.

03:34This is a government project.

03:36The project is only for the rakyat.

03:38So we support them.

03:39For many, the LRT is more than just a transport system.

03:43It represents progress.

03:45Even with inconveniences, communities say they are willing to endure temporary hardship

03:49for the long-term benefit of the people.

03:51Collaboration with employers and government agencies is key.

03:55Companies in the free industrial zone are being asked to stagger bus arrivals,

03:59easing peak hour congestion.

04:01Measures such as staggering work hours and rerouting via apps like Waze will help reduce the burden.

04:08There are some areas where the traffic disruption will be very short.

04:12There are some areas where the disruption will be slightly longer,

04:16depending on what we have to build over there.

04:20But it's not five years road closure or five years traffic jam everywhere.

04:25It's certain areas.

04:26And normally what we do, like what we did on the MRT project,

04:29once we constructed infrastructure such that we can make good the road below,

04:37then we open it up.

04:39Some parts will be released by stages by stages.

04:42So it means that in three years, you only have a few locations that have been disrupted,

04:47then other parts will be released mostly by stages.

04:52So we hope that people in Penang would stay calm.

04:57So let us do our work.

04:59Then we will manage all the traffic to make sure it runs smoothly,

05:04minimize the disruptions of the lockdown in Penang.

05:07By 2031, Penang's first LRT trains will roll out,

05:11connecting the airport, Silicon Island and Georgetown.

05:15For now, it means patience and planning.

05:17Short-term pain, long-term gain.

05:19The Mutiara LRT is more than tracks and stations.

05:22It is an investment in Penang's future mobility.

05:26So, weigh it out.

05:28You're not going to get in touch with people.

05:29I'm not going to get along.

05:31I'm not going to reach out,

05:33I'm not going to go to the region,

05:34but I'm not going to go to the park.

05:36I'm not going to be the next one.

05:38You're going to get up to the reruns.

05:39You're going to go to the house.

05:40I've been doing a trip.

05:41You're going to go to the local area,

05:42the place where I'm going to drive the road.

05:43You're going to be the next hour.

05:45And we go to the sun.

05:46There's going to be now.

05:47I'm going to be the proper place.

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