KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) failed public transport infrastructure policy partly led to the increasing congestion in the Klang Valley, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong claimed, lashing back at criticism from DAP on the issue.
He directed his fire at Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong and other detractors in PH for criticising him for allegedly failing as minister to resolve the traffic issues.
“When Pakatan Harapan became the government in 2018, it had abandoned or postponed several mega public transport infrastructure projects, including HSR (high-speed rail), the Johor-Woodlands RTS (Rapid Transit System) Link and the Electrified Double Tracking rail project.
“To add, they had also downsized the LRT3 projects by cancelling five of its stations and the tunnel work as well as using trains with fewer carriages, ultimately causing the project to delay its completion until 2024,” he said in a Facebook post today.
The operations of the MRT2 project has also been delayed until June 16 after PH abandoned the project, he added.
“As the ‘anti-public transport’ government, PH had cancelled many public transport projects that may solve traffic congestion. But now that it has become the opposition, isn’t it hypocritical for Liew Chin Tong to ask how to solve traffic congestion, to say the least?”
Wee clarified further that his ministry is working hard to find solutions to resolve the matter.
This includes doubling down on enforcement against goods-carrying vehicles entering the capital.
“JPJ (Road Transport Department) had also issued a statement recently to emphasise the restriction of goods-carrying vehicles from entering the KL city centre during peak hours,” Wee noted.
“Many of these vehicles are ignoring this prohibition and causing traffic congestion in Selangor and KL during peak hours.
He stressed that the ministry has therefore instructed JPJ to increase its manpower to enforce this rule with the hope of reducing traffic congestion.
“Not only that, we will also request for more traffic police to direct traffic in areas with severe congestion during peak hours to ensure smooth traffic,” he said.
Wee, however, stressed that there is a need to improve the quality of public transport as a means to reduce traffic congestion due to the high number of cars on the road.
“In the long term, we need to improve the quality of our public transport and reduce traffic congestion due to the high number of cars on the road,” he said.
He stressed that Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has also announced that the government had approved three new highway projects.
The Federal Territories Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall are also studying different approaches to reduce traffic congestion, he said.
Both Liew and Wee had engaged in a war of words on this matter, with the former alleging that Wee had failed to enact better policies to resolve traffic congestion.
Liew had also suggested that the government provide better incentives or subsidies for the use of public transport.
In the statement today, Wee chided Liew, adding that the current government has already provided subsidies for those who utilise public transport.
The government has allocated RM115 million for My50 and My100 unlimited travel passes, he pointed out.
“I wonder how much more the government, which Liew Chin Tong claimed is almost going bankrupt, should increase its subsidies?” he asked. – The Vibes, June 4, 2022
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