KL, JB & George Town Identified To Possibly Adopt Congestion Charges

It seems the idea of adopting and practising ‘Congestion Charges’ scheme in major local cities to ease traffic congestion is still being mulled by the government. In fact, the subject was amongst the highlight discussions in Dewan Rakyat earlier today.

As a result, George Town in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru are the three cities identified for the initial rollout of proposed Congestion Charges scheme, the Dewan Rakyat reportedly heard.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa explained that the proposed charges are still being studied by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC).

Aspects being studied include the scheme’s implementation mechanism, potential reduction of traffic volume, as well as the projected uptake of public transportation if the scheme is practiced. The study is expected to be completed by this year, adds Dr Zaliha.

“If we implement Congestion Charges, it can reduce traffic volume by up to 20% in Kuala Lumpur. 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,” argued Dr Zaliha.

Citing early findings from the study, Dr Zaliha also noted that other similar measures used abroad are also being considered. Amongst them is the electronic licence plate reader used in New York City where charges are automatically imposed once a vehicle number plate is detected.

Another measure under consideration is the electronic road pricing mechanism practiced in neighbouring Singapore. This method sees congestion charges imposed based on both zone and time instead to control traffic flow. A similar practiced is used in the city of London too.

“I agree with the Transport Minister’s stance that it is not appropriate to impose a congestion charge without a complete and integrated public transport system,” added Dr Zaliha further.

She also noted that approximately 1.5 million vehicles enter and exit Kuala Lumpur over 24 hours, but public transport ridership in the nation’s capital was estimated to be at just 25%.

Source: Bernama / The Star / NST