Road safety activist hails end to toll waivers

Free Malaysia Today

Ex-Miros board member Shahrim Tamrin says toll waivers defeat transport sustainability and efficient traffic management, and contribute to road congestion.  Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/01/22/road-safety-activist-hails-end-to-toll-waivers/  Laporan Lanjut: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/01/22/langkah-tepat-tamatkan-tol-percuma-musim-perayaan-kata-aktivis/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #CNY2025#TollWaivers #FestiveSeasons

Transcript

00:00A former board member of an agency under the Transport Ministry has hailed the government's

00:06decision to end toll waivers during festive seasons, saying such policies are counterproductive

00:13in reducing congestion.

00:15In a statement, Shahrim Tamrin, who was with the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research

00:20for three years, said giving toll exemptions during festive seasons was akin to pouring

00:25kerosene on a fire in view of the heavy traffic expected during these periods.

00:31Shahrim said toll-free travel also led to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions and

00:36outdoor air pollution.

00:38According to research, he said road transport contributed to over 70% of air pollution in

00:44urban areas and was the second-largest contributor to total carbon dioxide emissions in Malaysia

00:50at 21% in 2016.

00:54Yesterday, Works Minister Alexander Nantalingi said the government would no longer give toll

00:59exemptions for festive seasons and would replace these waivers with a more targeted approach

01:04without further elaborations.

01:07Shahrim said the decision to end toll waivers was long overdue as taxpayers' money had

01:13been used to compensate highway concessionaires during toll-free days.

01:18And these funds could be set aside to encourage the lower-income group to use land public

01:23transport modes.

01:25It was reported that the government forked out RM80 million to provide toll exemptions

01:30for the festive seasons last year.

01:33Pan Yujo, FMT News.

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