No plans for congestion charge in KL for now, says Loke

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will not impose a congestion charge on private vehicles in Kuala Lumpur for now, says Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

The Transport Minister said that the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion had previously discussed the matter and noted the ministry's views on the need to prioritise the improvement of public transport quality first.

"Therefore, the Transport Ministry does not currently plan to implement a congestion charge on private vehicles," 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 asked whether the ministry was going to impose a congestion tax now that the first mile and last mile connection issue had been addressed through on-demand transit van services.

Loke revealed that an implementation study is being conducted by the Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation. This study covers the implementation mechanism, projected reduction in traffic volume, and increased use of public transport.

Loke also said the ministry is currently benchmarking the quality of public transport in the Klang Valley and plans to expand this initiative to other states.

"This is because developed countries only implement congestion charges after establishing a good and efficient public transport system," he said.