Traffic congestion -- what are the causes ?

Traffic congestion is a common panoramic view in our daily life. Whenever there is a prolong traffic congestion on the roads, the immediate response and solution to it from the authorities is construction of alternative routes to divert the vehicles. However, can building and construction of an additional collector roads, arterial roads, highways or expressways help to alleviate and reduce the traffic congestion and stagnation. Definitely No as different areas have their own respective and peculiar shapes and stretch unless these root-causes are solved.


I have been living at Paya Terubong, Penang. The only one road, Jalan Paya Terubong, is always congested days and nights. To solve this congestion and stagnation on this road, the state government has started constructed an expressway bypass connecting to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass. With the completion of this expressway, it is hoped that the daily traffic congestion from Paya Terubong and Farlim can be alleviated. To me, the answer is negative and “NO”.


The stretch of Jalan Paya Terubong is about 5 kilometers accommodating two-way of to and fro traffic but its width varies ranging from one lane to three lanes with big water-pipes at both sides of the roads. Because of its peculiar shape with different width and existence of huge water pipes bordering both sides of the only and the one route along Jalan Paya Terubong, the flow of traffic for smoothness is definitely affected. This is the main reason why Jalan Paya Terubong is always congested day and night.

In Penang, the existence of water pipes beside the roads are common sight and with these pipes in existence, reconstruction and widening of roads are designed avoiding these pipes. With the said modification, the direct affected is the flow of traffic and also it poses to accidents as the pipes are almost near the main traffic on the road. These pipes are there for years but till to date but there has been no plan to shift or move the said pipes in their long term planning in capital expenditure despite the water authorities reap in millions of ringgit in its annual revenues. Ironically, the construction of high-rise apartments and condominiums are going on in this densely populated area with a only road and increasing population, surely the situation is getting worse. What a joke, those on the roads are the customers as well as consumers who pay water bills to the said water authorities.