Zaliha: Congestion charges can reduce traffic jam in KL by 20pct, save billions

Summary

• The government has identified three major cities for potential implementation of congestion charges.

• Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa says a study in 2020 showed the country had lost RM20 billion due to traffic jams.

• 20 percent of congestion can be reduced in KL if this is implemented, she adds.

PARLIAMENT | The government believes congestion charges can help reduce traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur by 20 percent and save up to billions in losses.

According to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa, a Prasarana Malaysia Berhad study in 2020 showed that the country suffered RM20 billion in losses due to traffic congestion.

"This means that for every one percent congestion reduced, especially in central business districts like Bukit Bintang, Lembah Pantai and Wangsa Maju, the government can save the country about RM200 million," she said during the Ministers Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat this morning.

Zaliha was responding to a question from Azman Nasrudin (PN-Padang Serai).

Three major cities identified

She said the government has identified three major cities where congestion charges will potentially be applied, with the two others being Georgetown in Penang and Johor Bahru in Johor.

Several mechanisms are being studied to find the most viable approach for the cities, including looking at those being used in other countries such as the electronic licence plate reader in New York, electronic road pricing (Singapore), congestion charge zone (London) and road space rationing (Jakarta and Beijing).

Congestion charges have been proven to reduce traffic jams by between 20 percent and 30 percent in London and Stockholm, while in Singapore and New York between 10 percent and 15 percent, Zaliha said.

"...if congestion charges are implemented in Kuala Lumpur, it is expected to reduce traffic congestion by 20 percent.

"For this to work, the rates cannot be too low and should be set at an amount that can reduce or discourage road users from using certain roads.

"However, the government also does not want the charges to be too high and burden users," she added.

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