Penang's super-efficient coastal highway

Every time I cross the Penang Bridge and turn south to Bayan Baru, I get confused. Am I travelling on the "new" so-called coastal highway or am I on a country road? Refer to it as a country road and I'm wrong. Refer to it as a highway and I'm also wrong. A "new" highway -- or even an "old" highway -- should offer a smooth ride from one end of the highway to the other. It should provide the driver with a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Not the so-called coastal highway which leads from the island side of the Penang Bridge down past the Queensbay Mall to Bayan Baru and the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone to the Penang International Airport. These are the important landmarks on the island which are served by one common artery, which is the so-called coastal highway.

I consider the so-called coastal highway as a great embarassment to Penang. Smooth ride? No, it is as rough as the Rough Rider. The whole stretch of the road is so uneven that every day, I am subjected to a bone-rattling experience. I would think a roller-coaster ride would be smoother by comparison. My car bounces whenever it has to negotiate the bumps which have been on the road for years without any authority taking responsibility for its upkeep.

We have manufacturers that transport their goods to their factories, we have foreign corporate figures who come visiting, we have tourists and dignitaries who travel between the airport and the city or the beaches ... and inevitably, they all use this so-called coastal highway. I wouldn't be surprised if, from their experience on this road, they get the impression that Penang's infrastructure is non-existent. It may not be non-existent but it is certainly very poor and in very bad condition. Some authority must take responsibility for the road and make the decision to repair it now. As tax payers, we request nothing less.