PUTRAJAYA’S plan of introducing peak-hour congestion charges in Kuala Lumpur in place of tolls should be emulated by Penang although there are no tolls to replace on the island’s traffic-congested roads, said civil society groups.

They said it is good to have people pay if they choose to drive during peak hours as this will reduce the number of cars on the roads.

Former Penang Island City (MBPP) councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui said he supports Putrajaya’s plan as it can get people to use public transport.

“And if Penang can also do this, it will be very good,” he said.

Lim, a member of the Penang Forum steering committee, said congestion charges are implemented in other countries like the United Kingdom and Singapore.

In London, the congestion charge is £11.50 (RM62) daily for driving a vehicle within the charging zone from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

“Studies have shown that imposing a congestion charge can reduce traffic congestion considerably.

“If you charge Penangites RM1 to RM2 to drive, there will be people thinking about not driving,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Lim suggested this idea in 2016 when he was an MBPP councillor but his colleagues from Pakatan Harapan did not support it.

Pay for peak travels

Last weekend, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that Putrajaya is talking with Gamuda Bhd over the acquisition of Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas) and Smart Tunnel in the Klang Valley.

Upon successful takeover of the highways, Putrajaya intends to abolish the existing toll mechanism and replace it with a congestion charge equivalent to the existing toll, imposed during six hours of peak travel time in a day.

During “normal” travelling hours, commuters can be charged up to 30%, while use of the highways from 11pm to 5am is free.

Dr Mahathir said the money collected would be used to fund the highways’ operations, maintenance, and repayment of loans.

Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin supported the idea, saying that many modern cities have implemented it and the system is a policy strategy to control or reduce traffic during peak hours.

Other than London and Singapore, San Diego in the United States, Stockholm in Sweden and Milan in Italy also have congestion pricing systems.

Multi-pronged strategy

Lim said in Kuala Lumpur’s case, the congestion charge might not be effective if many drivers are already used to paying toll.

“It won’t make a big difference unless drivers have to pay more than the existing toll rates during peak hours. Then, it will be revolutionary,” he said.

“The government won’t lose much revenue from allowing people to use the highways free from 11pm to 5am,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Lim said the congestion charge might be effective if public transport is made cheaper and more convenient, which would give commuters an alternative other than driving.

If the authorities gave buses allocated lanes on highways and allowed cars with three to four passengers to share the lanes, congestion might be reduced.

“If you set aside two lanes for buses, and only allow cars with multiple passengers of three to four people to share the lanes, it will reduce the number of cars on the road.

“There will be more people using public transport and carpooling, which is cheaper and faster.”

Carpooling

Yan Lee, the adviser of Citizens Awareness Chant Group, agreed to the congestion charge and car-pool idea.

When Lee was a student in Singapore, the republic introduced a restricted zone congestion charge, and he had to carpool with other students to enjoy exemptions.

When the area-licensing scheme was introduced in 1975, cars with one or two people in them were charged a dollar each time they entered Singapore’s central business district during peak morning hours. Only carpools of more than three people and lorries were exempted.

“Singapore also raised its parking rates. In Penang, we still have ridiculously cheap parking as low as 40 sen for half an hour,” he said, referring to the rate charged by MBPP for council parking lots.

“The low parking rate encourages people to drive. They can afford to park the whole day,” he said.

Do it, Penang

Lee said it was time for Penang to introduce a congestion charge, considering PH’s 92.5% control of the seats in Penang.

He said typically, the people would view the charge as a fine paid to a collector out to make money.

“But if the collection is transparent and the people see that the money goes back to the improvement of their lives, they will not see it so negatively.”

Yan said people will need time to accept the new charge but eventually, they will understand why it is good for the state.

“We should start with the congestion charge. We are still talking about building expensive mega-road projects.

“Is it not more logical to consider a cheap, cost-effective approach? We already have Rapid Penang buses in place,” he said, adding that public bus services can be improved to encourage their use.

Civil groups in Penang are generally concerned about the state government’s ambitious plans to build new highways under its Penang Transport Master Plan, which also proposes an undersea tunnel and LRT (light rail transit) system.

However, AnakPinang spokesman Timothy Tye said imposing congestion charges should not be at the expense of infrastructure development.

The congestion charge, he said, might discourage some unnecessary travel during rush hour, but without a viable alternative, many people will still drive because they need to travel during peak hours.

“Other measures may include a waiver for such charges, like cars with four occupants,” Tye said.

“For sure, imposing charges should not be at the expense of infrastructure development, in particular a grade-separated rapid transit system, like the LRT, to move commuters who don’t need to drive.” – February 26, 2019.