KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal to impose a congestion charge in the city will only be implemented when the public transportation system has been enhanced, says the Transport Minister.
Anthony Loke said that the matter had been presented and discussed through the Cabinet Committee Meeting on Road Safety and Congestion (JK-MKKJR) platform in formulating short-term, medium-term and long-term solution strategies and initiatives to address the increasingly acute issue of road congestion, especially in the Klang Valley area.
“In this regard, the Cabinet Committee Meeting took note of the view, and from the Transport Ministry that the implementation of congestion charges at this time is not appropriate because the public transport system must be strengthened first,” he said when winding up the motion of thanks of the royal address on Wednesday (Feb 19).
Loke said that developed countries have implemented the congestion charges only after having a sustainable public transport system with a good network and access to public services to the people.
He said the countries also have access to First and Last Mile Connectivity, and active transport modes to connect public transport stations with main activity centres or focus areas.
“The implementation of congestion charges alone without alternatives for the people to use good public transport modes will only put pressure on the people and have side effects on the socio-economics of the people.
“The Transport Ministry’s focus this time is to strengthen public transport as an important service for the people, whether in the Klang Valley or rural areas, in addition to collaborating with other ministries and agencies to focus on the development of public transport,” he said, adding that to give options for the citizens first.
Previously, it was reported that while more people are using the public transport system these days, commuters in the capital city were still being continuously caught in gridlock as traffic worsens.
In 2022, the average Malaysian driver in Kuala Lumpur was already spending about 113 hours on the road due to congestion, according to the TomTom Traffic Index.
Several transport experts had called for congestion charges to be imposed to reduce traffic in the city.
