Form task force to address traffic jams, Loke tells govt

 

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook showing reports of traffic congestion in the Klang Valley. He is flanked by deputy secretary-general Liew Chin Tong and Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran.

PETALING JAYA: DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has asked the government to form a multi-ministry task force to solve the worsening issue of congestion plaguing residents in urban areas.

He said the issue required a comprehensive effort among the transport, works, federal territories, and housing and local government ministries, and more.

“This issue definitely cannot be solved by one single agency. It has to be through cooperation and coordination among various ministries and agencies,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

“My main concern is that the ministries are working in silos, with no coordination among ministries.”

Loke also asked Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to reveal whether the monthly train ridership was the same as pre-pandemic levels, noting that the data was available to the government.

“I used to receive such reports in the past. In fact, data on ridership per trip and such information was reported to me every week after Cabinet meetings,” the former transport minister said.

“The transport ministry definitely has the data. Why not be transparent with the public if ridership levels have wavered?”

He believed it was highly likely that many commuters had chosen to switch their modes of transport from using the rail systems to private vehicles, considering the public transportation system was unreliable with frequent malfunctions.

Loke also suggested a large-scale mobilisation, with the federal territories ministry deploying traffic wardens to redirect traffic at crowded crossways.

He said the government’s move to discourage micromobility vehicles only further worsened the first-mile and last-mile connectivity issue.

He noted that rail coaches were visibly crowded and questioned whether this was due to the reduction in rail frequencies as riders were forced to cram into the coaches.

Also present at the press conference was DAP deputy secretary general Liew Chin Tong, who said the government was bound to experience longstanding fiscal issues every time fuel prices increased as public transport continued to be underutilised.

He cited finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s estimation that fuel subsidies will cost the government RM30 billion by the end of the year. - FMT