Gov’t studying introduction of a congestion charge, says it can reduce traffic in Kuala Lumpur by 20%

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.

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