Pushing for more tolled roads at the expense of safety and quality

From Gary Foong

I fully agree with the concerns of the sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, regarding the overall safety of several areas in the state and his recent call for increased road safety measures.

The relevant authorities and concession operators must take immediate action to install more safety signs and adequate lighting along the East Coast Expressway, and not just when requested or called for.

Additionally, there is a clear need for further improvements to the road infrastructure to reduce the risk of accidents, which has been a longstanding concern of regular road users.

There is an obligation to ensure the roads are safe for all users, including by installing adequate street lighting and visible signboards where necessary, especially in areas with heavy traffic or higher risk of accidents.

I strongly believe the government should step in to address gaps in road infrastructure without waiting for more accidents to happen.

Public safety should be a priority, and it is crucial to proactively implement measures that will reduce risks for all road users.

In line with this, I previously proposed a “control tower” system that would provide the public a direct channel to report and communicate the existence of road hazards and other issues in real-time, allowing for a quicker response from a set of integrated authorities and ultimately improving road safety standards.

In general, the series of road accidents in recent months has been alarming, attracting tremendous concern among road users and stakeholders. As such, this has led to a call for public accountability.

I take this opportunity to express a call regarding the current road toll system in Malaysia, particularly concerning safety controls and toll increases that have taken place since the early 80s.

Over the years, toll rates have increased, even though the volume of vehicles on the road has grown significantly from approximately 3.5 million vehicles in 1986 to over 30 million today, with 24 million active units.

We saw charges for tolls on the Kajang Traffic Dispersal Ring Road and Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway increase by as much as 80% and 30% respectively from Oct 15, 2015. With the substantial increase in traffic volume, the toll revenue generated has also increased exponentially.

According to consumer logic, this should have led to a reduction in toll rates as the number of road users is on the increase, yet the reality has been quite the opposite. Toll rates continue to rise, which raises the question: where is the additional revenue being allocated? It seems unjust for the public to bear these increased costs without corresponding improvements in road safety and service quality.

Moreover, it is disappointing that despite the rise in tolls, the safety controls on many concession roads still leave much to be desired. The ongoing toll increases are not matched by visible improvements in safety infrastructure such as road lighting, signboards or emergency services along these toll roads.

The public’s safety on these roads should be a top priority, yet it often feels that the focus remains more on collecting tolls rather than ensuring safe driving conditions for all road users.

The government has continued to approve more private highways such as the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway, Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway and West Coast Expressway.

It has also allowed new proposals such as the Tanjong Malim-Lumut and Putrajaya-Pahang highways instead of focusing on consistently improving non-tolled public roads under its management.

The situation as it stands seems unfair to the public users, who continue to bear increasing costs with little improvement in road safety or public infrastructure.

I believe it is time for the government to review toll collections, road safety and highway development to ensure that the Malaysian public’s interests are genuinely prioritised.

Why is there a push for more private toll roads when public roads under the government’s control could be further developed and maintained without burdening the public with additional toll fees? Why is the public paying for vehicle road taxes then?

One of the key promises made in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto was to abolish toll collections. This has not been fulfilled or delivered. Instead, we see ongoing increases in toll rates and a continuous expansion of private toll roads.

This severely demotivates confidence in the government’s commitment to fulfilling promises made during the election, particularly in terms of providing financial toll relief to the public. - FMT

Gary Foong is a FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.