Penang Watch

The campaign logoAfter Penangwatch started a discussion group on trams campaign for George Town there is another blog starting another campaign here: 

Launch of "Penangites for Trams" Campaign

http://anilnetto.com/2008/05/14/bloggers-launch-penangites-for-trams-campaign/

Dear Friends,

I attach the revised TOR (thanks for imputs from
Leslie), which I assume will be acceptable to all.

The next move will be to appooint the Consultant, but
before that we will have to raise the fees. Does
anyone have any ideas?

First, the Consultant;

Ric Francis is the best choice, if it is left to me,
but in the interest of openess we should choose from a
wider field. Does anyone have any other names?

Second, the fees:

Any Consultant who we choose will have to do this for
very little or no fees. Even so there are costs to
think about. The biggest cost will be the accomodation
and expenses, which I estimate will be about RM 1500
to RM 2000 for the week's work in the field. If it is
Ric we will have to add the cost of air fares from
Perth which is about RM2500. Misc. costs will be
another RM 500, making it a round RM 5000.

Trams are coming back in other cities -how about George Town ? 

Terms of Reference. 

To establish the economic and technical feasibility of a tram service in the City of George Town as an alternative means of public transport and as a tourist attraction. 

Introduction:

Paris' spunky new trams 

Paris welcomes trams back to town 
 
Trams are faster to construct than underground trains

The tram in action 
Paris has inaugurated a modern electric tram line along a section of the city's inner ring road, the first time trams have run in the city since 1937.
Mayor Bertrand Delanoe rode the first tram on the new T3 line, built to offer Parisians environmentally-friendly public transport.

The line is set to carry 100,000 people a day along a crowded section on the Left Bank of the Seine.

Cover of book by Ric Francis 

Ric Francis who wrote a popular book on trams(electric buses run on surface rails) and other diverse modes of public transports in Penang's history, was in Penang on Nov 7th to give a talk -and his advocacy for trams went down well with the enthusiatic audience at the PHT (Penang Heritage Trust) hall. Ric's reasons are compelling :A substantial part of the cost in installing trams lines ie the rails had all been laid before albeit below the roads' surface now. All we need is to dig them up -as done in upper Penang Rd.