NewzAn artist's impression of the proposed Sg Nibong Transit-Oriented Development. (Asian Development Bank pic)GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government today unveiled the draft master plan for the proposed Sg Nibong Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) at the now-closed Tapak Pesta Pulau Pinang.State infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the Sg Nibong master plan marked "the beginning of a new chapter" in Penang's urban planning journey."This master plan represents a model for how future urban centres across Penang may eventually evolve around high-capacity public transport," he said in his keynote address at the Stakeholder Engagement Symposium on the Draft Transit-Oriented Development Master Plan for Sungai Nibong at Komtar here.Zairil said Sungai Nibong was selected to host the TOD because it integrates the future Mutiara LRT Line station, existing interstate and local bus services, the nearby Penang International Airport, the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, and surrounding residential communities.The TOD, proposed on a 23.4ha site, will host several public and private facilities, including commercial buildings, a hospital, a hotel, a bus terminal, a sports complex, a cultural centre, a green park, and a building for the Penang Island City Council.A retention pond and a stream will be built to make the TOD area flood-resistant, as the town of Sungai Nibong itself is vulnerable to flash floods. The proposed TOD also includes a network of walkways to make the project pedestrian-friendly.Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said that various financing methods would be considered for the key projects under the TOD, with some to be fully public or privately financed.
Meanwhile, some projects will be funded through public-private financing methods.Meanwhile, Zairil said that limiting car dependency through efficient public transport, pedestrian-friendly design, and parking controls would be key to the success of the proposed TOD.He acknowledged concerns about worsening congestion along the nearby Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, given the high-density development proposed for the TOD area."The whole idea (of a TOD) is to discourage people from using their cars by designing a system that's very conducive and pedestrian-friendly, enabling you to get everything you want within a certain convenient radius," he said, adding that Sungai Nibong is al…
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