The government does not plan to implement a congestion charge tax on private vehicles in Kuala Lumpur (KL) for now, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
He said the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion meeting had discussed the matter in depth previously, and noted the ministry’s views to focus on improving the quality of public transport first.
“Therefore, the ministry does not plan to implement a congestion charge on private vehicles at this time,” Loke said at the Dewan Negara today.
He was responding to a question from Senator Tan Sri Low Kian Chuan on the ministry’s intention to implement a congestion charge tax since the “First Mile and Last Mile” issue had been resolved through the provision of on-demand transit van services.
Loke revealed that an implementation study covering the implementation mechanism, projected reduction in traffic volume, and increased use of public transport is being conducted by the Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation.
Loke said the ministry is also currently implementing the Klang Valley Public Transport Strategic Plan Study which also includes an Origin-Destination study and is hoped to be used as a benchmark to improve the quality of public transport, including in other states.
“This is because developed countries only implement congestion charges after having a good and efficient public transport system,” he said.
