KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not plan to implement a congestion charge on private vehicles in Kuala Lumpur 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 of Transport (MOT) does not and has not yet planned to implement a congestion charge on private vehicles at this time,“ he said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Negara today.
He said this in response to a question from Senator Tan Sri Datuk Low Kian Chuan who wanted to know whether the ministry would consider implementing a congestion charge tax given that the First Mile and Last Mile connection issue had been resolved through on-demand transit van services.
Loke said an implementation study covering the implementation mechanism, projected reduction in traffic volume, and increased use of public transport was currently 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.