Budget 2024: prioritise easing traffic woes beyond Klang Valley – Ian McIntyre

WITH just a few days before the latest fiscal budget is tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament, surely numerous suggestions have landed in the Finance Ministry’s hands over how to best spend taxpayers’ money.

From targeted subsidies and food security to reviving the consumption driven tax that is the Goods and Services Tax, there is no shortage of ideas and goodwill for Budget 2024.

One of the pressing issues confronting the country is the worsening traffic congestion, which is no longer an exclusive outcome for Klang Valley inhabitants, but mostly nationwide.

Just ask commuters in George Town, Ipoh, Kuantan or Kota Baru, about how they feel about the traffic congestion and their replies would likely revolve around “it’s worsening by the day” to a need to have an effective public transport.

Try driving on the North-South Expressway on most weekends, where traffic gridlock has become all too common.

On such roads, it is not something obstructing movement; it is simply the sheer volume of vehicles travelling simultaneously to the same destinations.

It has been the agenda of most governments, either federal or state, for the good part of the 21st century to mitigate the glare of traffic jams, especially ones which are now notorious.

However, it takes time to have an effective public transport system.

But for Penang, reducing the number of cars is still in practice.

Yet, an immediate action plan can be in place to drastically reduce the numbers within months, not years.

There is the “no-car day” on every other Sunday morning within the Unesco world heritage site’s core zone.

It should now be expanded to more days – perhaps it can start with every weekend and public holiday.

Penang has a heritage enclave encircling George Town, over 200ha with some 1,600 heritage-listed buildings.

To appreciate it, it is best to scroll through its walkways rather than drive by.

Similarly in Melaka, which has a similar heritage enclave with a core zone of 45.3ha, rezoning such protected areas into pedestrian walkways is an ever-present option to alleviate congestion.

For the majority of tourists, sightseeing or exploring is more exciting on foot than in a vehicle.

Heritage zones should only be accorded to ride sharing operators, including food delivery riders, and the budget should offer incentives to commuters who use such services. 

Exceptions can be given to emergencies such as ambulances or maintenance vehicles to enter.

But as a policy, barring public vehicles on every weekend or public holidays in the heritage enclave should be studied.

The budget should include incentives to encourage fellow Malaysians to walk more than drive or even to cycle more, as such physical activities help in cultivating wellness.

Perhaps to incentivise the public, tax reductions can be given if there is evidence to show that people rely more on public transport rather than vehicles, while more trees should be grown to shade walkways.

Special rates can be given if those commute around the no-cars zone on public transport, including those who are booked on ride-sharing applications.

Abandoned or old buildings can be converted to house mass parking lots for vehicles, the Penang Port’s docks have large warehouses, which remained largely underutilised.

This is where government funding is ideal to help the owners of huge buildings to convert their properties to house cars rather than to leave it unoccupied.

Penang Sentral can be expanded to have more parking bays to allow more pedestrian crossing onto the island via the foot passenger cross-channel ferries.

There is also a need to purchase traffic monitoring drones, which can instantly beam real time road conditions to online nerve centres run by the local councils or traffic police.

Penang has unveiled an ambitious transport master plan which calls for large-scale construction of a light rail transit system, five new highways and even an undersea tunnel.

But such projects take time, and, more so, political willpower to undertake – not to mention higher economic costs, especially now with the heightened rate of inflation lurking in the background.

What the people need are immediate, real, solutions to the congestion, and it comes from the unpopular but practical move of simply reducing the need to have cars on roads.

This is not something new, as civil society groups, particularly in Penang, have been mooting for this for some time now.

Gabungan Patriotisme dan Perpaduan Kebangsaan recently endorsed a call to form a coalition of non-governmental organisations, political leaders, councillors, planners and resident associations to fight for walkable streets in cities.

A former Land Public Transport Commission official, Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, was quoted as telling the authorities to relook city planning and to improve walkability and disability access.

As pointed out by Wan Agyl, the notion of having “wider walkways with proper lighting, sitting areas, and curb side designs that allow access for people with disabilities” have been given mere cosmetic and lip service by the authorities.

Covid-19 brought a new normal to our lives, but most importantly, it has brought more traffic too in the past three years since lockdowns were lifted.

It is time to better live in the new normal instead of turning back to the past.

What had worked previously is no longer viable now in terms of traffic management.

This coming budget should signal the reforms needed to manage the public expectations of a reduction in congestion on our roads. – The Vibes, October 8, 2023