LETTER | On Feb 25, it was reported that the federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa told the Dewan Rakyat the government is looking into imposing congestion charges to reduce the number of cars entering Kuala Lumpur.

The congestion charge is the most intuitive and simplest suggestion. She said the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research and Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation are conducting a feasibility study on how congestion charges would impact road users and the public transport system in KL.

She added, “The goal is not to burden people but to make KL a smoother, more efficient city for everyone.”

Traffic congestion is a severe problem in many cities around the world. It causes delays and frustration for drivers, creates air pollution, and increases greenhouse emissions.

In our country, traffic congestion is encountered in most of our major cities, especially in the morning rush hours from 7am to 9am and the evening rush hours from 5pm to 8pm. The congestion gets worse during festive seasons and is currently experienced in the month of Ramadan.

It seems the government’s strategy in imposing a fee is to deter people from entering KL. Malaysians had been constantly barraged with charges. They pay the toll for using highways, and now they may have to pay charges to enter KL.

Imposing a charge would not effectively mitigate or reduce congestion as people who go to KL have their reasons. The collected congestion charge would only increase the coffer of Kuala Lumpur City Hall without reducing congestion.

Imposing a congestion charge is a reactive approach that would burden the people. The government should consider other proactive alternatives which have no monetary burden to people.

One of the ways to help reduce traffic congestion is to revolutionise the way traffic lights are managed. Currently, traffic lights are programmed to change after a fixed timing, irrespective of the volume of the traffic.

Because of this, traffic police are seen in the morning and evening at major road junctions to control traffic, bypassing the traffic lights. What the traffic police did was relatively effective. Kudos to the traffic police for a good job that eases the traffic.

However, the traffic police cannot be on major road junctions all day round. By revolutionising our traffic light management with sensors and a global positioning system (GPS), they can optimise traffic flow, reduce delays, save fuel, and reduce emissions.

Using technology to monitor and manage traffic flow, such as having an intelligent traffic management system, can help reduce congestion. Traffic light signals managed by computers and artificial intelligence can be adjusted in real time to respond to changes in traffic conditions. Many cities around the world use AI to reduce traffic congestion.

Land and space in Kuala Lumpur restrict road expansions. The congestion would get worse rather than better in the long run. We need to strictly enforce traffic laws and regulations, such as those against reckless driving, illegal parking, and behaviours contributing to congestion. By cracking down on these violations, we could improve traffic flow.

In addition, we could also remove parking bays along major roads. Forget about the losses in parking fee collections if removing the parking bays could free spaces to improve traffic flow.

Overall, reducing traffic congestion in KL is a complex challenge that requires a multi-faceted approach. By implementing proactive actions such as strict enforcement of traffic laws, investing in public transportation, and improving traffic management and coordination, we can reduce congestion in KL.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.