Traffic Congestion and Solution?

Government mulls over move to ease LDP congestion

By SIM LEOI LEOI and BRIAN MARTIN


KUALA LUMPUR: Lower toll for using the highway during off-peak hours – that is one of the options the Government is considering to ease the congestion on the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP).
Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed said with lower toll, users would be encouraged to stagger their journeys and lessen the congestion during peak hours.
“For instance, drivers will be given rebates if they leave earlier in the morning for work,” he said Thursday during Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat here.
He was replying to a question by Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian. Hee said that despite having to pay RM1.60 toll, motorists complained that the highway was congested.
When contacted later, Mohd Zin said having peak and off-peak toll rates was one of three options the ministry was looking at to solve the congestion problem of the LDP.
Another option the ministry was looking at was the implementation of a “multilane toll collection system” where vehicles did not need to stop to pay toll, he said.
“A lot of congestion was caused by cars slowing down when they need to pay toll. With the multilane system which uses infrared rays like the one used in Australia, cars can maintain their speed,” he said.
Mohd Zin said the last option was the “realignment” of the LDP.
However, he said this was a “last resort” because realignment would incur very high costs due to land acquisition.
Mohd Zin said the proposals were part of the ministry’s review of the country’s privatised expressways.
He said he was giving the LDP a lot of attention because it was one of the most congested among privatised expressways.
“The LDP’s volume is very high and many motorists have complained about congestion,” he said.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca), however, felt that the suggestion to lower toll rates during off-peak hours for those using the LDP was not practical.
Its secretary-general Muhammad Shaani Abdullah said traffic woes would not be solved by lowering tolls during off-peak hours.
“We cannot expect the people to leave for work at 5am and get home at 2am.
“It just does not make sense. What we need is proper traffic management and better enforcement,” he said.
Mohd Zin also told the Dewan Rakyat that from 1999 until 2006, the Government paid some RM480.54mil to subsidise toll on the LDP as drivers were paying RM1 when it should have been RM1.50.
“From Jan 1, 2007, the Government paid out about RM150mil in subsidy when the toll was RM1.60 when it should have been RM2.10,” he said.
Mohd Zin said the Government did not pay any subsidy for the New Pantai Expressway because its toll rates have never been restructured.

 

Do you think the solution is good?

LDP = LONG DISTANCE PARKING.....

 

Traffic jams cause bus delays
by The Malay Mail

BUS service delays were blamed on the worsening traffic congestion and the rapid increase in the number of private vehicles entering the federal capital. Other reasons are road diversions and closures, adverse weather conditions and as traffic accidents. These reasons were given by Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) in a statement yesterday.
It said although the company had increased coverage by as much as 53 per cent and the number of buses by 30 per cent since its inception four years ago, these reasons continued to affect the frequency of its services.
RapidKL covers 980 housing estates compared with 638 in 2005.
This 53 per cent increase does not include greater coverage to other commercial areas in Kuala Lumpur through its town bus services.
The peak hour despatch is 650 buses, compared with 470 in November 2004, or an increase of about 30 per cent.
RapidKL welcomed City Hall’s initiative to enforce the use of bus lanes and increase the number of lanes.
“We urge other local authorities to embark on a similar initiative. This reinforces RapidKL‘s view that there is a need for a comprehensive approach to resolving traffic congestion.
“RapidKL is committed to providing a comprehensive public transport system and this includes encouraging commuters to use the rail and bus lines.
“If they can get a bus that takes them to a nearby LRT station, they should take this option as it will take them to their destination faster as the LRT service is not subject to traffic conditions.” On the lack of discipline among bus drivers, RapidKL said although they were given basic customer service training, there still were cases of bad behaviour, which the company does not condone.
RapidKL will carry out an intensive customer service programme for its drivers.
“We urge commuters with complaints against our drivers to furnish us with details such as the date, time, bus registration and route numbers.
This information is critical to investigate and identify the driver,” it said.

 

And look at what the ppl discovered lately.

A fleet of around 1,000 buses cost approx. RM500,000,000.00 have been abandoned and left to rot at a housing area near here. No steps have been taken to either recommission or send these buses to the scrap yard.
Many complaints have been lodged by residents near the area who have dubbed the site as the "bus graveyard". They say it is an eyesore and a sheer waste of money as most of these buses were in running condition.

The company had been dumping these buses at the lot for more than two years.

And the buses are now classified as "beyond economic repair" (BER) which means, based on technical evaluation, the cost of repair would be higher than the cost of buying new buses.

What is happening ?

 

Absolutely no politics. I know its prohibited.

The topic is the solution of proper traffic congestion. Thats all.

Ya. Smart Tag and Touch N go also no use. The jam is crazy at especially at sunway.

Public transport services is weak.really weak. If it is strong enuff, i wont drive to work.

 

I wonder Pemuda will make some statement here.

I am waiting.