Earlier this week, an opposition lawmaker has recommended 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 response to the New Straits Occasions.
Talking on the opening of part 5 of the Raub bypass on the Central Backbone Highway (CSR) yesterday, Nanta Linggi stated such a transfer to abolish tolls on the Karak and ECE highways would incur better prices for highway upkeep, which the federal government must bear.
“In the meanwhile, we’ve no plans to abolish the tolls,” he stated. “We’d like 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. A scarcity of funds will jeopardise [maintaining the highways].”
Nanta Linggi’s remarks had 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 had been inflicting congestion. The Kubang Kerian MP advised 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.
Other than confirming the federal government has no plans for closing the aforementioned toll plazas, Nanta Linggi additionally stated there have been no discussions relating to 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, notably throughout weekends and public holidays, he stated: “Open cost has not been mentioned. Open cost on the KLK must be studied, and if there’s a want, it must be fine-tuned.”
Nanta Linggi stated he may also 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 corporations should not perform works that require lanes to be closed throughout peak and festive seasons. Doing upkeep works throughout heavy visitors solely causes congestion, but when work must be carried out, it may be achieved at one other time.”
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