Scrap vehicles aged 10 years and above to improve KL’s traffic situation. That was the recent suggestion by a group of researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong was asked to comment on this yesterday, and basically, he said that it’s not so simple.
Instead, traffic congestion in the city is a complex matter that must be addressed in a holistic way, and cities must first have a comprehensive line of public transportation connectivity, which is the main focus of the ministry, he said yesterday at the resumption of Shuttle Tebrau train services in JB, reported by The Star.
It doesn’t sound like Wee is all for the Vehicle End of Life (ELV) policy happening now. “I don’t think everyone would be able to change their vehicle every 10 years; even my late father was driving a 20-year-old vehicle. Most of our parents in the village are still using the Perodua Kancil and Proton Iswara. This is something that we inherited from our family,” he said.
“There is more than one approach that we can take to tackle the issue of congestion on our roads; like looking at the best policy to introduce and what intervention that we can take. All of these must be dealt with in a holistic way,” the Ayer Hitam MP added.
The most frequently-cited example of an ELV scrap policy is Singapore. Wee pointed out that Singapore has to limit the size of the vehicle population because of the country’s small size, and people who wish to own a car must pay RM100,000 for a certificate of entitlement (COE).
“They have to limit the number of vehicles due to the size of the land, but we do not have this policy in our country. In Malaysia, we have 34 million registered vehicles, but only two-thirds or 22 million vehicles are active and paying for the road tax,” he said, adding that many non-active vehicles were kept by their owners due to sentimental value.
No surprise if you’ve heard of the ELV in Malaysia topic, as it crops up occasionally. “A study to identify mechanisms in phasing out old vehicles in a sustainable manner will also be undertaken,” states a line in the 12th Malaysia Plan, or Rancangan Malaysia Ke-12 (RMK-12), released in September 2021.
The RMK-12 is a broad plan and it didn’t elaborate, but in March last year, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), in conjunction with the ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme (ASEAN NCAP), opened a three-page ELV survey to the Malaysian public.
The vehicle scrapping idea usually goes hand-in-hand with periodic roadworthiness inspections, much like the UK’s MOT checks and semi-annual Puspakom inspection for commercial vehicles in Malaysia – the survey touched on this as well. Another suggestion was to increase insurance premiums for vehicles over 10 years of age.
Generally, carmakers would be for ELV (people will have to buy new cars to replace old ones) while the rakyat would be against the idea, wanting the freedom of choice of if and when to replace their cars. As such, this is a difficult thing to push through for any government (never mind one in Malaysia’s current rocky political scene), as there’s bound to be backlash. What’s your take on the Vehicle End of Life policy?
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AI-generated Summary ✨
The comments focus on various approaches to reduce traffic congestion, emphasizing improved public transportation, road infrastructure, and smarter urban planning rather than scrapping old cars or imposing heavy taxes. Many highlight the need for reliable, extensive public transit systems, better pedestrian walkways, and congestion charges. Critics argue that policies like Vehicle End of Life (VEL), scrapping old cars, or raising taxes could disproportionately burden the poor and don't effectively address the root causes of traffic jams. Several commenters suggest increasing vehicle inspections and maintaining old cars to ensure safety without financial strain. Others advocate for better town planning, reducing car prices, or encouraging work-from-home policies. Overall, opinions favor comprehensive infrastructure improvements and smarter regulation over punitive measures that could hurt lower-income citizens, with strong undercurrents of skepticism towards political motives.