I refer to the news that many toll booths will become completely cashless.

In my opinion, to say traffic will be smoother with cashless payment is misleading and does not mirror the reality at our toll booths.

At many of the toll booths, for example at the Sprint Highway Damansara and Kerinchi toll booths, Plus Highway Damansara toll booth, LDP Sunway and Bandar Sri Damansara toll booths and quite a few others , the traffic is quite smooth and orderly until the toll booth and total chaos after payment.

This is due to Malaysia having this very badly-thought-out concept where at toll plazas more lanes than the highway lanes are created for toll booths. This results in a smooth-sailing three-lane highway suddenly turning into a 10-lane toll booths, and after paying it becomes three lanes again and this creates total chaos and a free-for-all melee.

First-time drivers using our highway would get the fright of their lives. The more aggressive and reckless ones, I presume those who are not driving their own vehicles, tend to get in front earlier as they will be weaving in and out in very tight situations.

Last November when I was returning from Subang Airport via the Plus Highway, entering at Subang and exiting at the Damansara toll, it took me and many others 50 minutes to clear the toll booth after paying (mind you, payment via Smart Tag). There were almost 10 lanes created by motorist after the toll booths, but there are only three lanes, which later become two, at this toll both after paying.

No other country that I have visited, including Japan, Singapore and Britain has more toll lanes then road lanes. No point being able to pay quickly and then getting stuck for hours after.

Drivers heading out via Sprint highway will readily testify to this, so do drivers entering the city via the Plus Highway via the Damansara and Duta tolls.

The way to fix this is to ensure that only toll booth lanes equal to the highway lanes exist, which will ensure smooth and steady traffic movement.

Any regulators or highway concessionaires who dispute my comments or observation are welcome to just use the above-mentioned toll booths during morning and evening peak hours to see for themselves the chaos that additional toll booths has created. Remember to take along some karipap and teh tarik as you will be stuck in traffic for a while.