Social impacts of traffic congestion on Residents of Heritage area / Nur Shaffi Edzreen Mohd Haizi

Traffic congestion continues to occur every day as this is the outcome of the development of the city, Georgetown, Penang. Apart from that, there are many aspects that contribute to this problem. This has led to many impacts especially towards the working population in the city. The aim of this research is to examine the social impacts of traffic congestion on residents of heritage area. Analysis will base on primary data gained from the questionnaire that has been answered by 35 respondents. The methods for this analysis are the descriptive analysis and mean value. Result of the analysis shows that the social impacts of traffic congestion on residents of heritage area are divide into two category which include positive impact and negative impact. Each category have their own main impact. The main positive social impact of traffic congestion on resident of heritage area are in terms of more opportunities to upgrade facilities such as outdoor recreation facilities, parks, and roads, but brings crowdedness in theatres, movies, concerts, and athletic events. Beside, the main impact of negative social impact is worsening of the local air quality. In order to minimize those impacts, recommendations are suggested as follows are provision of safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists, construction completed as quickly as possible, but with higher daily traffic flows and peak hour restrictions on movements of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).