Penang’s growing pains

Rising volume: Heavy traffic and large crowds outside the Air Itam market. Can Penang Island's already clogged-up roads cope with thousands more people, and vehicles, when new housing projects are ready? (Inset) Penang Island did not face the problem of congestion back in the 1980s. - Filepics

The ‘good’ problem of a city’s growth brings with it the inevitable – increasing density and traffic congestion – an urgent issue that must be addressed.

IN all senses of the word, Penang Island is on the verge of an exciting, yet challenging, era.