GEORGE TOWN (June 3): Overzealous development and focus on motorists' rights without consideration on the needs of the people in Pulau Tikus can slowly chip away the sense of community.
Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Yap Soo Huey said the "council knows best" culture or the "top-down approach" does not work anymore because it has failed to take cognisance of people's plights.
"Pulau Tikus has 95% built-up space. Developers can come and uproot shoplots but if they are not replaced elsewhere, the sense of community would be lost," she said at a press conference today.
She also rued that there are no traditionl parks in the area, and people do not sit in the back alleys to chat with their neighbours like before.
She said developments have taken over not just street space but also small tradings such as sundry shops, watch repair businesses and news vendors, basically the type that serve communities within an enclave.
Yap said shophouses and small traders provide an unrecognised service to the city through which they encourage communities to become less aloof. It allows people would interact with others in their neighbourhood, thus developing a sense of community.
"Developing a city with thriving small and local businesses will provide both opportunities for people to meet," said Yap.
While commending the local councils for being proactive on collecting feedback from taxpayers so annual budgets could be planned, she remarked that it was not "comprehensive" enough to understand people to ensure good town planning.
"According to a survey we conducted on 459 people in October last year, it was learnt that about 50% of Pulau Tikus denizens want less cars on the road. They also stressed there were no proper pedestrian walkways which made it difficult for them to walk to nearby places," she said, adding that the survey including cultural mappings covered areas between Gurney Drive and Jalan Macalister.
"This has instead forced them to use their cars."
Yap added that the Pulau Tikus business district on Jalan Cantonment was an example of the failure of Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) to listen to the needs of the people due to lack of public space.
She pointed out that pedestrian crossings are installed at MPPP's discretion such as the one across Jalan Burmah.
She proposed a collaboration project with MPPP where a team of officers take part in public consultation sessions to learn about community needs with the aim of developing people-centric infrastructure and re-designing the Pulau Tikus business district to address the problems.
"Due to development pressures and poor planning, there is a need for comprehensive study and proposal," she said.
FZ
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