Earlier this week, an opposition lawmaker has prompt that the federal government shut the Gombak and Karak toll plazas on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) and East Coast Expressway (ECE) to ease congestion. The proposal has since been emphatically shot down by works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, in line with the New Straits Occasions.
Talking on the opening of part 5 of the Raub bypass on the Central Backbone Highway (CSR) yesterday, Nanta Linggi mentioned such a transfer to abolish tolls on the Karak and ECE highways would incur higher prices for highway upkeep, which the federal government must bear.
“For the time being, now we have no plans to abolish the tolls,” he mentioned. “We want the [toll] funds for freeway upkeep and to make sure the security of highway customers. If the tolls are abolished, the federal government must safe funds to keep up the freeway and plan upkeep works. An absence of funds will jeopardise [maintaining the highways].”
Nanta Linggi’s remarks have been in response to PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who urged the federal government to shut the Gombak and Karak toll plazas as they have been inflicting congestion. The Kubang Kerian MP instructed the Dewan Rakyat on Monday that motorists needed to go 4 toll plazas (together with Bentong and their respective exit factors) when they need to solely go by way of two.
Apart from confirming the federal government has no plans for closing the aforementioned toll plazas, Nanta Linggi additionally mentioned there have been no discussions concerning the implementation of an open cost toll assortment system on the Karak freeway.
When requested whether or not the federal government would take into account implementing the system to ease congestion, significantly throughout weekends and public holidays, he mentioned: “Open cost has not been mentioned. Open cost on the KLK must be studied, and if there’s a want, it needs to be fine-tuned.”
Nanta Linggi mentioned he may even advise freeway concessionaires to not perform upkeep work throughout peak and festive seasons. “Final 12 months, earlier than the [Hari Raya] Aidilfitri celebration, I went to the Gombak toll plaza and issued directions. Concessionaire firms should not perform works that require lanes to be closed throughout peak and festive seasons. Doing upkeep works throughout heavy site visitors solely causes congestion, but when work needs to be carried out, it may be achieved at one other time.”
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