Increasing toll rates

Increasing toll for increasing traffic woes

I refer to the front page report “Toll to go up” (The Star, Nov 28).

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu may have many reasons to justify the planned increase in the toll rates come January 1, 2007.Some of his reasons may have merits and need to be considered positively.On the contrary as consumers, most Malaysians would vehemently oppose such moves.

Paying tolls, most would agree is inevitable for the convenience and comfort of travellers. The main question here for us as the road users is whether the prevailing traffic and road conditions really justify the frequent increase.

Road travel in our country has become the main, at times the only available mode of transport. Federal and state trunk roads used to be our main routes for travel for many decades. These became hazardous due to over congestion and as such highways were constructed at very high costs for the convenience of travelers, especially inter stare travel.

Because of the high cost involved in their construction, imposition of tolls was inevitable and most road users accepted it willingly. People did not mind paying a little for the great convenience and safety of the travel on improved highways.

With the passage of time these highways too became heavily congested and today traffic jams are common even on dual carriage highways and expressways. We have come to a situation as it was in the seventies when highways were not available. Despite the congestion and jams, we still have to pay the ever increasing toll charges.

Furthermore our highways are in a deplorable state, with potholes, poor drainage and visibility. They appear to be in state of constant repairs, which add to the traffic jams causing more inconvenience and added dangers to the road users.

The facilities along the highways too are grossly inadequate and not well maintained. The rest areas are overcrowded especially during festive seasons and long weekends. Most of these areas are inconvenient and conducive for rest when breaking a long journey.

In actual fact we are paying for increasing traffic jams and deplorable state of our highways leading to a unacceptably high accident and mortality rates. Is it fair to keep increasing the tolls without a parallel increase in the quality of the highways and associated facilities?

Dr.Chris Anthony