Spreading the word: ASP Amir (centre) handing out a flyer to a driver on the new restrictions for heavy vehicles during peak hours from entering highways around Klang Valley at the Dengkil R&R. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star
PETALING JAYA: There is a smooth flow of vehicles along the usually heavily congested North-South Expressway Central Link Expressway (Elite) during morning peak hours.
This comes after new peak hour restrictions for heavy vehicles on selected highways that pass through Klang Valley came into effect yesterday.
The ban currently includes stretches of the North-South Expressway (NSE), New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Elite (at the stretch between Shah Alam and Saujana Putra) and the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE).
According to the police, who were visibly present on patrols along the highways to enforce the new restrictions, traffic flow improved by about 30% during peak periods due to new restrictions.
“Average vehicle speed during peak hours along these highways have gone up around 30kph to 40kph, compared to around 10kph to 20kph before the new restrictions.
“We also saw that most heavy vehicle drivers have adjusted to the new restrictions, with many stopping at designated rest (R&R) locations just before the restricted stretch of the highway during the morning peak period.
“They then continue on their way after the restricted period ends without any issue,” police’s central zone B highway operations chief officer ASP Amir Che Ya told the media after a site visit to a location along Elite.
Elite’s concessionaire PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) said the new restriction has been met with a positive reception from logistic industry players.
“There are some who disagree as they do not understand why this restriction was implemented, but our overall engagement with stakeholders has been well received,” PLUS senior general manager (operations) Mohd Yusuf Abdul Aziz, who was also present at the site visit, told reporters yesterday.
The new restriction bars heavy vehicles (Class 2 and 3) from all directions across the four expressways during the peak hours between 6.30am and 9.30am, and 4.30pm and 7.30pm from Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays).
However, the restriction does not apply to buses, refuse trucks and vehicles associated with public cleansing, emergency services and highway maintenance.
In Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that any form of congestion charge will only be implemented when a comprehensive public transportation system is in place.
He said the proposal was discussed during the Cabinet committee meeting on Road Safety and Congestion (JK-MKKJR) platform in formulating short-term, medium-term and long-term initiatives to address traffic congestion, especially in the Klang Valley.
“In this regard, the Cabinet committee took note of the views from the Transport Ministry that the implementation of congestion charges at this time is not appropriate because the public transport system must be strengthened first,” he said when winding up the motion of thanks of the royal address yesterday.
Referring to developed countries, Loke said that these countries implemented congestion charges only after having a sustainable public transport system with a good network, good first-and-last-mile connectivity and various transport modes to connect public transport nodes with main activity centres.
“The implementation of congestion charges alone without alternatives for the people will only put pressure on the people and affect their well-being.
“The Transport Ministry’s focus now is to strengthen public transport as an important service for the people, whether in the Klang Valley or rural areas, in addition to collaborating with other ministries and agencies to focus on the development of public transport,” he said.
While ridership of public transport is at an all-time high in Klang Valley, vehicles in the capital city are still continuously gridlocked.
According to the TomTom Traffic Index, in 2022, the average Malaysian driver in Kuala Lumpur spent about 113 hours on the road due to congestion.
