Paying a price for less congestion in the city

By LIM CHIA YING - The Star Online - 26 April 2010

WHEN the Land Public Transport Bill 2010 was tabled for its first reading at Parliament two weeks ago, it generated a lot of interest from various quarters.

The act, among others, introduces an area congestion pricing scheme for certain areas during peak hours.

It also spells out a fine of up to RM2,000 or six months imprisonment or both for those who fail to pay the charge.

However, certain parties have come out against the bill, asking if it will be enough to encourage motorists to switch to public transportation.

Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit Klang Valley (Transit) adviser Moaz Yusuf Ahmad said it was an important issue but, currently, many had no choice but to use their own vehicles.

He said the congestion fee was part of the Government Transfor-mation Programme beyond 2012/2013 but the concept had not been marketed properly, resulting in negative comments and concerns over its possible implementation.

“Currently, there is no incentive for those who use private vehicles to switch to public transport.

Gridlock: Most of the concerned parties agree that the public transport system must be improved before congestion charges are introduced.

“Naturally, questions will arise on how the government will implement and manage the system and where the fees collected will go.

“Motorists must be made to realise that public transport will mean less worries about double-parking, the jaga kereta menace and stress.

“Those who want the convenience of using their own vehicles during peak hours will have to pay for it, which is a fair deal. However, the root of the problem is still our public transportation system,” Moaz said.

He pointed out that the Kota Damansara-Cheras line, which was announced in 2006, had still not taken off four years later.

“The government cannot rely on building LRT lines alone as it takes time to set up the infrastructure,” Moaz said.

Instead, he champions the need for bus-rapid-transit (BRT) systems, which he says are an efficient and cost-effective means of moving a largest number of people on the road.

“Bus lanes have to be introduced and enforced and the entire bus system must be reorganised. Transit feels there should be a physical separation of the lanes,” he said.

A motorist, who only wished to be known as William, said he worked in Bukit Bintang and, despite having a monorail station nearby, chooses to drive to work.

According to him, there are not enough parking spaces at the monorail stations and he does not like the crowd in the trains.

“If the congestion fees are introduced, I might not drive but it depends on the quantum. If I can afford it, I will still drive,” William said.

Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun also thinks that congestion charges are not appropriate now as the public transport system is still fragmented.

“There are many destinations that the LRT and buses do not service. Congestion charges should only be introduced when between 50% and 70% of city folk use public transport,” he said, adding that in Japan, about 75% of its population used public transport.

Moaz felt that the congestion charges should only be imposed as a last resort. Instead, he suggested other options like increasing parking charges in various parts of the city or having tax charges for certain car registration plates.

“With congestion fees, the amount should be small enough to slowly encourage people to use public transport or carpool.

“Now, most cars entering KL only have one occupant. If we can increase the average to two per vehicle, we can halve the number of cars on the road,” he said.

However, not everyone is enthusiastic about carpooling, with Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai saying that it had been tried unsuccessfully in the past.

“I recently read an article that provided statistics on the use of public transport in the Klang Valley. In 1985, 34% of the population used public transport. Today, that number has dropped to about 10%.

“This just shows a failure of the system. About three-and-a-half years ago, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had organised a forum on a similar area congestion pricing scheme but rejected the idea after negative feedback,” he said.

“In many car-producing countries, cars are affordable yet many opt to use public transport because it is efficient.

“The Bill should be withdrawn and reintroduced when the time is right. More should be done for public transport first,” he added.

Taxi passengers may also have to pay more if the Bill is imposed on cab services.

Federal Territory and Selangor Taxi Operators Association president Datuk Aslah Abdullah said this was the case in Singapore.

“However, we do not know if taxis, which are considered public transportation, are covered by the Bill.

“I’m worried that if the Bill comes into place and bus and LRT services improve, no one will want to take taxis, as customers will the decide on the cheapest form of transport,” Aslah said.

Klang Valley Taxi Owners Association president Abdul Jalil Maarof also said any congestion fees should be reduced for public vehicles like taxis and buses.

In a speech prepared by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for the Asian Metrocity Summit 2010 early this month, he said the present Klang Valley public transport share was only 10% although the government planned to increase it to 13% by yearend.

In his text, Muhyiddin said the Government Transformation Roadmap reflected a policy shift towards demand-side management.

“Once the public transport share reaches its target of 25% by 2013 in the Klang Valley, we’ll implement demand management initiatives like congestion pricing and parking surcharges,” he said.

When contacted, Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said as far as he was concerned, the ruling would not be enforced at the moment.

“We cannot afford to burden the people now, especially when our public transportation is still not up to par.

“If public transport has achieved its targets, then this law can be reconsidered,” he said.