Much to see: Ahmad (second from left) visiting an exhibition at the Highway Concession Conference 2024 in Johor Baru. — Bernama
JOHOR BARU: All 33 highway concessionaires in the country should utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to address traffic congestion, particularly during long weekends and public holidays, says Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
He said the companies should take advantage of available technology instead of blaming the traffic snarl on the increasing number of vehicles.
“One of the current solutions is the introduction of smart lanes where vehicles are allowed to use the emergency lane. I hope we can increase the number of smart lanes from the current 18 lanes we have nationwide.
“Another solution is the use of the My Travel Time Advisory (My-TTA) by PLUS Malaysia Bhd, which helps travellers decide when to begin their journey to avoid traffic jams,” he said.
However, he said that more sustainable methods should be tried out.
“We cannot solely rely on smart lanes, as their travel distance is short. And congestion will still occur during public holidays and long weekends,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony of the Highway Concession Conference 2024 yesterday.
Ahmad said that highway concessionaires could also introduce compulsory exits, particularly in cases of accidents or severe congestion.
“Perhaps we could add more smart lanes or extend the operating hours of existing ones.
“We may also consider introducing a contra-flow lane, where one lane on the less busy side of the road is closed to allow vehicles on the busier side to pass more easily,” he said.
On another matter, Ahmad said the ministry was hoping to introduce a third phase of the expansion project on the North-South Expressway (NSE) from Simpang Renggam to Yong Peng Utara.
The third phase, he said would cover about 41km, with an estimated development cost of RM1bil.
Ahmad said he hoped that the Finance Ministry would announce a special allocation for the project during the tabling of Budget 2025 next month.
“The first phase of the expansion has already begun, involving the widening of the road from four to six lanes between Senai Utara and Sedenak, costing RM525mil,” he added.
As for the second phase which stretched from Sedenak to Simpang Renggam, he said it would cost RM505mil as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year.
He said the third phase could be divided into two stages – from Simpang Renggam to Ayer Hitam next year, followed by Ayer Hitam to Yong Peng Utara the following year.
“This way, we can split the RM1bil cost into RM500mil per year,” he added.
