Policy paper on tackling KL traffic congestion in the works

 Transport minister Loke Siew Fook says drivers in the city spend about 84 hours annually stuck in traffic, with 10km journeys taking an average of 18 minutes.

Traffic congestion in the Klang Valley worsened in the week before Chinese New Year, with police attributing it to preparations for the festive season. (Facebook pic)

PUTRAJAYA:

 The transport ministry is drafting a policy paper on tackling traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur, its minister, Loke Siew Fook, said today.

Loke said his ministry decided on this after finding that the city’s average congestion level stood at 43.4% last year, a significant increase compared with the pre-pandemic level of 37% in 2019.

He said drivers in the city centre spent about 84 hours annually being stuck in traffic, with 10km journeys taking an average of 18 minutes.

“I have asked for a paper to be prepared to determine our direction in tackling this congestion. We hope that it will serve as a guide to drafting more effective policies,” he said at a ministry event here today.

Traffic congestion in the Klang Valley worsened in the week before Chinese New Year, with police attributing it to preparations for the festive season.

Kuala Lumpur police said more than three million vehicles entered the city in the span of about two weeks, while several national-level events, accidents, and bad weather also contributed to increased congestion.

Transport experts had previously called on the government to impose congestion charges on private vehicles entering the city to reduce traffic and encourage public transport use.

However, Loke said in March last year the government had no plans to implement such a charge for the time being as the priority was to first improve the quality of the public transport network.

Pulau Carey port approved

Loke said the Cabinet today approved the proposed development of a port on Pulau Carey, with the Selangor government to take the lead and the transport ministry to oversee the project.

He said the state government would form a special purpose vehicle to attract private investors to build and operate the port.

“This is an infrastructure project that is strategic and for the long term. Although we face various geopolitical challenges, it will not hamper the nation from progressing,” he said.

In September, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari said the state government had identified 1,699.68ha on Pulau Carey to be developed as the third port in the state.

He said this comprised 1,011.71ha of seabed land managed by the Selangor State Development Corporation and 687.96ha of coastal land owned by Yayasan Selangor. - FMT