It has been talked about well in the past, and it’s being talked about again, the idea of introducing a vehicle congestion charge to alleviate traffic congestion in Malaysia. Only this time, there’s a definite hint of seriousness in the discussion, what with a study presently being carried out on it.
More interestingly, the scope of application has also been increased, because the scheme is not just being proposed for the Klang Valley, where it would definitely be needed, but George Town in Penang and Johor Bahru as well, as The Star reports.
According to minister in the prime minister’s department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa, these three locations have been identified for an initial rollout of proposed congestion charges, should that become a reality.
In the meantime, she said the topic was still being studied by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC), with aspects such as the implementation mechanism, potential reduction in traffic volume and projected uptake of public transport if the congestion charge is introduced among the elements being weighed.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Zaliha said the study is expected to be completed by this year. She added that the implementation of a congestion charge could reduce traffic volume by up to 20% in Kuala Lumpur, but much would depend on how much motorists are charged. “The charge cannot be too low but should discourage motorists from using certain roads. We also do not want the charge to be too high, which can burden consumers,” she said.
She added that similar measures used abroad are also being considered, among them being New York’s electronic licence plate reader system, where charges are automatically imposed once a number plate is detected, Singapore’s electronic road pricing (ERP) mechanism where charges are imposed by zone and time to control traffic flow and London’s congestion charge zones, where vehicles are charged for entering during peak hours.
She also mentioned the road space rationing measure adopted by Jakarta and Beijing, where private vehicle entry is limited to odd or even numbers depending on the day.
Zaliha said that around 1.5 million vehicles enter and exit Kuala Lumpur over a 24 hour period, but public transport ridership in the capital was only at 25% capacity. Nonetheless, she agreed with transport minister Anthony Loke’s view that it would not be appropriate to impose a congestion charge without first having a complete and integrated public transport system.
On that note, will the topic remain mere talk? What do you think about the idea of imposing a vehicle congestion charge in Kuala Lumpur? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Now every T20 can drive without congestion. Set the charges high enough and can reduce traffic by in KL 99%
Hooray siti council employees all gets 6 months bonus soon.
How about study when will they fulfill their above promise?
Anwar menang rakyat senang
As above. Janji sudah dicapati
the rich can afford chauffeurs, the poor suffer in debts
If you want to drive without congestion, then work hard to be T20!
guess its time to get a bike for work commutes.
but B40 kapcai still roams around. So in the end, KL turn into Vietname. full of kapcai roaming around.
all parliament member must be in their seat at 8AM, no escort, no car allowed. public transport only. and must be televised. we see % arrival on time. then we might have better solution for congestion and public transport rather than try an error by costing more to rakyat.
Implement it ASAP and raise fuel price and toll charges as well
So we can do a French Revolution on our PH rulers?
Betul kau charge biar mahal sekali. Jangan charge rm1 or rm2. Kau charge RM30 sekali masuk, rm50 pun ok, T20 dorang duit banyak, tak ada hal. Memang sunyi la KL dari kereta lepas ni. Lepas tu duit collection tu bagi balik kat B40 dan M40, biar dorang naik train, bas dan grab EV sahaja. Yang grab tak EV tak boleh. Bau asap busuk. Bas pun kena EV. Baru la lain dari lain KL.
Baru la bandaraya hijau. Lepas tu sepenggal la kau memerintah.
Congestion charge can only be implemented in area with CAT service and provided there’s sufficient parking place at periphery of charge zones. Or there’s sufficient feeding service into charge and CAT service zone.
asik nak caj orang ja mu ni…
take a look at the REAL problem…
25% capacity? duh heck… sure if you calculate the total rider per day during all the operation hour. Has that menteri every rode the trains to peak hours? mcm sardin… you want the ride to be full even during off peak?
gosh I hate these menteri so much
In 90s: Increase cigarette price will discourage people from smoking.
In 2000s: Charge 20cents plastic bag will discourage people from using plastic bag.
2025: People don’t give a damn.
As a city dweller i support this. Thanks
First improve the public transport service and limit the sales of car.by this way the traffic can be reduced
How do we get to the destination at the last mile if we choose not to drive? Even KL with such massive rail systems, someone has to take a car from the last public station to their destination. JB and penang are certainly not ready as they do not have a rail network. We should study from cities like Sydney or LA.
Income less than 3k (proof from income tax) monthly, can not buy car even with grantor! Problem solved!
Another money spinner of all sorts. Public transport need to improve.
Efficient, Reliable & Well Connected PUBLIC TRANSPORT FIRST!
The Madanon Regime seems to be going all-out, above and beyond, going an extra several dozen miles, to ensure that they will disgust the rakyat and lose GE16 disastrously.
So the poor no need to go kl during peak hours?
Yeah right… public transport is very convenient…
Try getting to an interview or a meeting damp in sweat and oily skin all over.
Increase car price and block flooded cina new brands in coming to Malaysia. That solve the problem
Those that caused jam can not even afford these China cars! These people should just use bike!
https://paultan.org/2024/09/09/jpjeplate-for-evs-launched-euro-style-embossed-design-with-malaysia-flag-embedded-rfid-rm98/
Maybe can introduce after JPJePlate RFID 230km/h has been fully materialized for all vehicles.
then we can remove the toll which cause major congestion,
e.g 10 Toll Lanes but squeezed back to 3 Lanes?
Just increase the petrol prices matching Jakarta , Thailand or London , then reduce the car import tax by 80%