In support of proposal to levy congestion fee

I REFER to the news about a Penang assemblyman proposing to charge a levy on out-of-town motor vehicles entering Penang to reduce traffic congestion there.

For someone living in Kuala Lumpur, I actually applaud this proposal for a number of reasons.

Firstly, radical approaches have been used in cities worldwide recently to increase their liveability ranking. Hanoi, for example, has promised to ban motorbikes by 2030 and Singapore has taken drastic steps to reduce the number of cars on the city’s roads. In Jakarta, some overhead pedestrian bridges were recently taken down and replaced with ground-level pelican crossings. The move was initially criticised by many as drivers in Jakarta feared it would cause more congestion as they would need to stop for pedestrians. But according to media reports, Jakarta residents are actually happy with the move. Jakarta is also set to introduce congestion charges.

There have also been reports that Bangkok may ban street vendors on pedestrian walkways.

If cities in our neighbouring countries can implement such radical changes to improve their liveability level, couldn’t ours do the same?

Secondly, charging a levy on outof-town cars would also encourage more people to use the Rapid Penang bus service. The Penang state government could also use some of the levy collected to improve or upgrade the state’s public transport. In London, part of the revenue collected from the congestion charges goes to the development of public transport in the city.

Finally, there are many alternatives for visitors to get to Penang. The KTM ETS from KL Sentral is a reliable alternative and there are also cheap express bus services and affordable domestic flights.

I hope the Penang state government will implement the levy charge but with proper logistics and technical support.

RP1 Puchong