Improving Accessibility in Penang State, Malaysia

For the past decade the Penang local authority has been improving the accessibility of pedestrian infrastructure, particularly in central George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2008 a joint project of the United Nations Development Programme and the Malaysian Government was established to audit the accessibility of public transport in Penang State and advise how accessibility could be improved. Public transport includes the international airport; the Malaysian Railways station on the mainland; long-distance bus terminals; local bus services including vehicles, bus stations and bus stops; ferry services between George Town and Butterworth; and local taxi services. A large part of the project consisted of access audits of the transport modes and facilities listed above, plus focus group discussions involving stakeholders. The project also included training access auditors, capacity building for people with disabilities and their organizations and awareness raising. In the past decade about 10 km of good quality pedestrian footways have been constructed in central George Town, of which about 6km is nominally accessible. In addition, in 2007 a new bus company, Rapid Penang Bus Company Ltd, started operations centred on George Town and Butterworth using low floor buses. Rapid Penang put considerable effort into staff training and creating a professional ethos within the company. The access audits identified many deficiencies in the pedestrian infrastructure. The accessible sections did not connect to create a network, many sections were constructed to unsatisfactory standards, sections which were otherwise accessible were blocked by minor objects ranging from sign posts to flower pots; motorists were parking on footways and motorcyclists riding on accessible footways. The project identified footways and road crossings as first priority for improvement. This would connect existing accessible sections to create a network of footways across the World Heritage Site and link to the main bus station, ferry terminal and cruise ship pier. Rapid Penang are planning a demonstration accessible bus route, using the access audits to identify improvements required at a number of demonstration sites along the route. The audits identified many potential improvements to accessibility of ferry services, airport, railway station and bus terminals.

• Corporate Authors:

  Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation

  302, Tower A, New Mandarin Plaza, 14 Science Museum Road, Tsimshatsui East, Kowloon
  Hong Kong,   China 
• Authors:
  • Mitchell, Christopher
  • Wee, Judy
• Conference:
  • TRANSED 2010: 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons
  • Location: Hong Kong , China
  • Date: 2010-6-1 to 2010-6-4
• Publication Date: 2010

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References;
• Pagination: 10p
• Monograph Title: TRANSED 2010: 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons, June 1-4, 2010

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Crosswalks; Pedestrian areas; Pedestrians; Persons with disabilities; Public transit; Tourists; Walkways
• Geographic Terms: Penang (Malaysia)
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01360820
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 25 2012 11:57AM