THE design for the second Penang bridge, which was shown on the front page of The Star recently, is very artistic and beautiful indeed. But is it practical?  

Bridges are constructed for people to travel from one end to the other without stopping. The construction of observatory areas will only cause unnecessary increase in traffic travelling to such scenic spots.  

The extra cost of construction for these unnecessary accessories could be used to build a much wider bridge to accommodate more vehicles in the future. This will avoid the necessity to build a third bridge in the near future.  

For example, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was built in 1930, was already designed to carry six lanes of road traffic, flanked by two railway tracks and a footpath on each side.  

It was well planned and served Sydney for such a long time without the need of a second bridge.  

I hope the authorities will build a much wider bridge instead.