Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Fomca: Toll discount 'just for show'
The Sun
19 Nov 2008
Fomca: Toll discount 'just for show'
PETALING JAYA (Nov 19, 2008): The government should be looking at ways to reduce congestion on the roads by regulating toll rates instead of using “regular sale tactic” to look like it is lessening the burden of the people, said Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations secretary-general Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah.
“This is just for show and does not lessen the burden of the man on the street as only 10% of highway users will benefit,” he said, referring to the toll discount for those who travel between midnight and 7am on the PLUS and Elite highways.
Among the reasons given for the 12am-7am window was that it would encourage people to wake up and go to work early so that they will spend longer hours at work and be more productive.
“The government should use this method to regulate traffic and reduce congestion during peak hours in the cities,” Sha'ani said.
“This can go a long way towards easing the burden of consumers because each time they get stuck at toll booths fuel is wasted .
“They waste time and fuel just to pay toll and then get caught in a congestion after that,” he said.
Sha'ani also said the government should opt for cashless payment systems to smoothen traffic flow .
“Only a 5% discount is being offered to those who spend RM200 or more on the electronic toll payment facility. What about those who cannot afford this?” he asked.
The government, he said, should find ways to correct the system which has failed to address the problem of congestion, especially in the cities.
MCA, meanwhile, urged PLUS to reduce toll charges to benefit everyone and not selectively.
Describing the discount as not practical as it will only benefit a small group of people who use the highways during off-peak hours, MCA Information and Communication Bureau chairman Lee Wei Kiat said in a statement today: “The majority of the public who wish to benefit from this measure are forced to go out early in the morning for work and return after midnight which contradicts their normal routine.
"With the worsening Mat Rempit menace on the roads at night, the highway concessionaire cannot afford to overlook the safety aspect of expressway users driving late at night.”
Lee said the discount applies only to Class I vehicle which excludes such vehicles as lorries and taxis which are among the main users of expressways.
"The PLUS concessionaire should also take into consideration the needs of such groups,” he said.
With the number of road users increasing every year, PLUS, according to its 2008 annual report, reported a gross profit of RM1,605,698,000, and should therefore reduce toll charges which is the best way to reward users, Lee added.
Updated: 05:43PM Wed, 19 Nov 2008
19 Nov 2008
Fomca: Toll discount 'just for show'
PETALING JAYA (Nov 19, 2008): The government should be looking at ways to reduce congestion on the roads by regulating toll rates instead of using “regular sale tactic” to look like it is lessening the burden of the people, said Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations secretary-general Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah.
“This is just for show and does not lessen the burden of the man on the street as only 10% of highway users will benefit,” he said, referring to the toll discount for those who travel between midnight and 7am on the PLUS and Elite highways.
Among the reasons given for the 12am-7am window was that it would encourage people to wake up and go to work early so that they will spend longer hours at work and be more productive.
“The government should use this method to regulate traffic and reduce congestion during peak hours in the cities,” Sha'ani said.
“This can go a long way towards easing the burden of consumers because each time they get stuck at toll booths fuel is wasted .
“They waste time and fuel just to pay toll and then get caught in a congestion after that,” he said.
Sha'ani also said the government should opt for cashless payment systems to smoothen traffic flow .
“Only a 5% discount is being offered to those who spend RM200 or more on the electronic toll payment facility. What about those who cannot afford this?” he asked.
The government, he said, should find ways to correct the system which has failed to address the problem of congestion, especially in the cities.
MCA, meanwhile, urged PLUS to reduce toll charges to benefit everyone and not selectively.
Describing the discount as not practical as it will only benefit a small group of people who use the highways during off-peak hours, MCA Information and Communication Bureau chairman Lee Wei Kiat said in a statement today: “The majority of the public who wish to benefit from this measure are forced to go out early in the morning for work and return after midnight which contradicts their normal routine.
"With the worsening Mat Rempit menace on the roads at night, the highway concessionaire cannot afford to overlook the safety aspect of expressway users driving late at night.”
Lee said the discount applies only to Class I vehicle which excludes such vehicles as lorries and taxis which are among the main users of expressways.
"The PLUS concessionaire should also take into consideration the needs of such groups,” he said.
With the number of road users increasing every year, PLUS, according to its 2008 annual report, reported a gross profit of RM1,605,698,000, and should therefore reduce toll charges which is the best way to reward users, Lee added.
Updated: 05:43PM Wed, 19 Nov 2008
