Lukewarm response to levy reduction

Hasni: Infrastructure upgrade in Johor will see better results

JOHOR BARU: It has been close to a month since the Government slashed the levy on commercial vehicles using the Second Link to boost usage, but the response so far has been lukewarm.

Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohamed said the infrastructure at both land entry points will have to be upgraded before results could be seen.

He added that the Public Works Department has proposed an initial budget of RM100mil to improve the infrastructure at both points.

“This means doubling the number of lanes for heavy vehicles at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at the Second Link and Johor Baru,” he told The Star.

At present, the Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) CIQ at the Second Link has four inbound lorry lanes to and three outbound lanes from Singapore.

The Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) CIQ has six inbound and seven outbound.

“These lanes are insufficient because some of the lanes at the checkpoint in BSI cannot be used, owing to the huge size of some lorries these days,” Hasni added.

On Feb 13, the levy for commercial vehicles using the Second Link was cut to RM50 both ways.

The toll rate for all vehicles, except motorcycles, using the Second Link during off-peak hours (10am-3pm and 11pm-5am) has also been reduced by between 47% and 82%.

Hasni sits on a special committee headed by the Deputy Prime Minister to look into improving the traffic congestion at both CIQs.

He said Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad’s suggestion for a separate mini-CIQ for pedestrians to walk across the Causeway was a viable one.

He said issues regarding the use of information and communications technology to implement this should not be used as an excuse to shoot down the idea.

“This mini-CIQ can be part of the infrastructure that needs to be upgraded,” he said.

In an interview with The Star, Shahrir had suggested that a small complex at the old CIQ location in the city would be a better alternative for pedestrians instead of building a covered walkway with walkalators from the present CIQ, which is further away.