‘ No highways approved’

> Selangor working on an integrated public transport system, says Azmin

SHAH ALAM: Since pulling the plug on the controversial Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) earlier in the year, Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali ( pix) said the state has never approved any other highway construction.

Addressing the house at the Selangor State Assembly yesterday, Azmin (PKRBukit Antarabangsa) said the building of new highways in the state is not the absolute solution to solve traffic congestion and the state is looking into other avenues to solve the problem.

"This is why when we tabled the 2016 budget, we proposed that we move to an integrated public transport system that is high capacity and coordinated, especially in terms of sustainable use of land," he said.

He said that the state government is currently in talks with the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to revisit its numbers in 2013 that the ratio of public to private transportation is 40:60.

"If these projections are retained it would give more avenues to build more highways and this will not solve the problem," he said.

Azmin explained that the state government is working on a public transport system master plan that should be ready by the end of the year.

"With this plan we hope we can build a high capacity, integrated public transportation system," he said, adding that among the new developments to the master plan is the LRT3 project with Prasarana Malaysia Berhad.

When completed by 2020, it will ferry some 70,000 passengers a day from Bandar Utama to Jalan Johar, he said. It was reported last week that Azmin will be hauled up by PKR to explain allegations that he approved the construction of three highways in the state without consulting the party leadership.