Penang walk at lowest sea level

This morning was Penang’s lowest ever sea level that I’d seen. I was able to walk all the way from the end of Gurney Drive almost to the Penang Club – just along the beach. The first time ever for me.

Of course the land reclamation changes the flow of the sea currents, and the sand in front of the Penang Club has been washed away. Before the Gurney Wharf Project land reclamation I used to walk along the beach in front of the Penang Club. Even so, back then, still what I saw today was Penang’s lowest ever sea level. I never saw the opportunity to walk all the way to Gurney Drive along the beach. Naturally I am not there all the time. But I am quite often.

 

Penang mornings are lovely

Penang mornings are a great time to be out. Just after sunrise, around 7.45 or a bit later, it’s cool and relatively quiet.

Living dangerously – I went for a walk

Mostly it’s not easy crossing Gurney Drive on foot.

But I thought I was doing everything right. A brief break in the traffic was coming, which is often all you can hope for, with a motorcycle proceeding straight ahead in the left lane. So I started across the right lane, ready to nip behind the motorcycle and cross before the next car came. Suddenly the motorcycle swerved right and almost hit me, to turn into a side street.

Normally to judge if a vehicle is turning one looks for a turn indicator (bearing in mind that for motorcycles they are often indicating simply because the indicators weren’t cancelled), being in the turning lane – in this case the right lane, and the vehicle slowing down. This motorcyclist did none of these.

So for more safety, now I think I should cross where there are no nearby side streets. However, walking along the other footpath, one is often blocked by parked cars and forced onto the road, anyway.

Very recently a lady was knocked over and killed on a pedestrian crossing by a motorcyclist at a red light on nearby Kelawei Road.  Whenever you cross a road you must watch for motorcyclists who ride between cars, and often ignore red lights, too.  You can’t just look straight ahead and cross safely.

 

Selfish car parking on footpaths makes walking more dangerous

One should apparently exercise at least 30 minutes a day, and possibly the easiest and most pleasant exercise is walking.  In Penang this has been difficult in many places, but footpaths are being built and upgraded, so the situation is improving.

Unfortunately, some car drivers see footpaths as a convenient place to park so that they don’t have to walk.  Often this forces pedestrians  onto a busy road with cars driving quite fast, so you have to wait for a break in the traffic to get past the parked car blocking the footpath. Or risk getting killed.  Of course, car lanes are quite narrow here, so you have to be careful.  Better signposts indicating where safe and legal car parking is available might help.  If these drivers parked safely and walked a little, they would also improve their health.  In fact, when you see strategies for scheduling exercise, they often mention parking further from your destination and walking as one of them.

Some motorcyclists seem to view footpaths as a traffic free speedtrack.  The other day I was surprised by a motorcyclist zooming towards me at around 40km/h.  Others see it as a way to ignore one way streets.  And others just to avoid traffic on the road.

Some cyclists also use the footpath, but in my experience they ride quite slowly, and I haven’t yet felt threatened – and I sympathise, as facilities are as yet quite poor for cyclists, although they too are improving slowly.  Faster cyclists tend to cycle on the road.

Here are a few photos:

inconsiderate parking

and it’s not only cars – every other bike was parked OK, but this owner chose to block the whole path

inconsiderate parking

rubbish is also blocking the footpath

inconsiderate parking

inconsiderate parking by bus – there is a long length of lane with a yellow line where he could park which would not block traffic, but instead he parks on the corner where he causes a jam when traffic is heavier.  These buses do this all the time – but occasionally a driver is more considerate.

inconsiderate bike parking

inconsiderate parking

I can squeeze past on the left – but he’s also part blocking a car lane

I can squeeze past on the left – but he’s also part blocking a car lane

hmm

did he really have to block the path?- even parallel to the path would have been better

right in the middle of the path

hmm

and a bicycle gets into the act – I almost fall down the embankment

lot of them

inconsiderate parking

inconsiderate parking

there’s that rubbish blocking the path again

inconsiderate parking

motorcyclist road – sometimes they honk you to get out of the way

motorcyclist road

motorcyclist road

motorcyclist road

More people are walking today than before, I think – a mixture of tourists and locals.  It would be nice if pedestrians were respected.

A wander around George Town

I went for a wander around George Town’s Heritage Zone one afternoon this week. In the past I would not have done this, because it is generally too hot, but it’s been cooler lately, and so it was a pleasant stroll.  Here are a few photos…

an old public phone

Food Museum on Beach Street

big Cendol

big egg

big noodles

Fire Station

Fire Station

main temple entrance

temple

temple

for tourists

Armenian Street – popular with toursits

on Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

on a side street

this is good to read

mosque

side street

you see these all over George Town

not so much traffic in this immediate area

not so much traffic in this immediate area

park at the end of Armenian Street

on Armenian Street

some people grow trees

on Armenian Street

a rare site – a bicycle path

mosque on Kapital Keeling

it could be Hotlink – Maxis phone company’s pre-paid

relaxing at a coffee shop – there are so many these days

relaxing at a coffee shop – yum, marshmallows

clocktower