Better to abolish the toll-free offers, say experts

PETALING JAYA: The 50% toll reduction for the Chinese New Year period is a compromise from the government which serves little purpose, say experts.

The government might as well have not offered a discount, they say.

The original purpose of the toll-free gesture was to allow freer travel during the festivities without traffic congestion at toll plazas, said Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman economics professor Dr Wong Chin Yoong.

“It was meant to keep traffic flowing during the peak hours. However, the government is now linking the toll free measure to targeted subsidies where only B40 and M20 should benefit.

“It’s too complicated for a two-day toll fare discount to be associated with a welfare policy. It is not well-designed or well-targeted and is not an effective measure.”

A 50% discount, he said, would not have a significant impact on reducing cost of living for anyone.

Rather, he sees the measure as a gesture to celebrate the season with the people.

“The toll-free offer should be related back to its original purpose, which is to speed up traffic flow,” he said.

Economist Prof Emeritus Dr Barjoyai Bardai said the government is making the right move in abolishing the toll-free initiative considering that the expenses it bore could have been used for other assistance.

“This is an ad hoc initiative and the government spends around RM200mil annually. In 10 years, it would be RM2bil.

“Such an amount could have been used to cover more comprehensive assistance like education, housing or basic necessities like food or the affordable meal initiative, Menu Rahmah,” he said.

Universiti Putra Malaysia Engineering Faculty’s Road Safety Research Centre head Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua said offering free tolls encourages people who are not celebrating the festival to use the expressways, potentially increasing congestion.

He too said the compensation could be better used for other purposes, like supporting underprivileged groups.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the government is striking a delicate balance between providing assistance to the people and ensuring that it will continue to be a targeted measure.

Church worker Andy Ng, 42, said that while he is happy to receive “goodies” from the government, it would not impact his family’s travel costs too much.

He said the toll discount is meant to alleviate the traffic and encourage people to travel at non-peak times.

“But I don’t see how the discount can help with the festive traffic,” he added.