Malaysia plans to impose a congestion charge on motorists as part of an ambitious attempt to ease traffic jams which choke the capital's narrow roads, reports said Sunday.

Kuala Lumpur's mayor Abdul Hakim Borhan said two million vehicles drove into the city daily and traffic was expected to grow by 10 to 15 percent every year.

"If we can reduce (traffic inflows) to 50 percent, that is good enough," he was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times newspaper.

Under the plan, motorists using congested streets in Kuala Lumpur would have to pay a fee, he said but did not give any details on the amount.

Abdul Hakim, who was visiting Stockholm, said a proposal on the plan would be submitted to the government next year based on the system adopted in the Swedish capital.

"The public may object to the proposal initially, but they will accept it after they realise that the system will improve traffic condition in the city," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Under the plan, vehicles using certain streets would have their registration numbers recorded and the drivers would then have to go to a bank to pay the congestion fee. Drivers who fail to pay the fee would be fined.

Cities which have introduced peak hour congestion fees to reduce traffic include Singapore and London.