Loke: New highways, rail lines alone not enough to ease traffic congestion

 

Traffic congestion in the Klang Valley can't be solved by just building more highways and rail lines, said former transport minister Anthony Loke.

He said this is as public transportation use is relatively low, meaning that more and more people will resort to using their own vehicles to get around.

He said this when asked to respond to Works Minister Fadillah Yusof’s Sunday announcement that the government had approved three new Klang Valley highway projects.

The new highways approved are the Petaling Jaya Traffic Dispersal Elevated Highway (PJD Link), the Putrajaya – Bangi Expressway (PBE) and the Kuala Lumpur Northern Dispersal Expressway (KL-Node).

Former transport minister Anthony Loke

 However, Fadillah was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today that there was no guarantee that the new highways can ease congestion due to the increasing number of private vehicles on the road.

According to the Tomtom Traffic Index, congestion at peak hours in the morning and evenings in the capital has been consistently worse this month compared to the same period in 2019.

Fadillah said public transport use among the public must at least be at 40 percent if there is to be any possibility of traffic easing.

Besides the new highways, several new rail lines are under construction or being planned such as the MRT2, MRT3, and LRT3.

First mile, last mile

Taking note of all these, Loke said the question that needs to be addressed is why the use of public transport remains low.

“All of us know it’s not just an issue about not having infrastructure, the question is how to encourage the public to use public transport.

“First mile and last mile (connectivity) is a major problem, that’s something that should be the focus of the transport minister,” he said at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

The DAP secretary-general added that access to public transport such as walkways should also be made more comfortable.

In addition, he said that public transport must also be made safer for women to use, such as by making parking at stations more secure for them.

Loke said efforts to improve public transport use is a multi-ministry affair and that the cabinet must work together to resolve the problem.- Mkini