Sunday February 12, 2012
LTA: We have to match Malaysian toll charges
IF Malaysia increases toll charges for motorists using the Causeway, Singapore is likely to follow suit.
This was due to a longstanding policy of matching whatever rates Malaysia set, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.
Motorists using the Causeway could soon pay up to five times more in charges, it was reported recently.
Under the proposed revision, they will have to pay tolls both ways, which are likely to be at higher rates.
Currently, drivers pay only one way, when driving from Singapore to Malaysia.
Cars pay S$1.20 at the Singapore end and RM2.90 at the Malaysia end.
Sources said that the proposed toll would be RM6.20 for cars one way, plus a fee of RM1.45 to highway operator, PLUS.
The total toll for cars would therefore be RM7.65 one way, or RM15.30 to leave and return to Malaysia.
Cars using the Second Link pay RM7.70 at the Malaysia end and S$3.20 at the Singapore end.
The new toll rates would be decided by the Malaysian Cabinet, said the report.
On Friday, the LTA said in a statement: “Singapore’s toll charges are pegged to those set by Malaysia for the use of the Causeway and Second Link.”
Past toll increases for motorists travelling on the Causeway and Second Link were initiated by Malaysia, with the Republic revising its rates after that. —
The Straits Times / Asia News Network
There has been a lot posted here and other forums about the "crossing jams" to both the side of the Countries. While it has become a very trying experience to cross either way, various suggestion of the "easing the jams" have been suggested by the contibutors to this and other forums.
An attractive and IMO a viable option is to build another crossing connecting the two Nation using a combination of Public-Private funding! though I think is less desirable. My reason is there will be tolls set to recoup the building cost as well as ongoing maintenance of the crossing, so my argument is in order to keep the tolls reasonable that the Governments of both nations build the crossing WITHOUT Private funding and collect the tolls in order to recoup SOME of the building cost and have at the same time a reserve fund to keep ongoing maintenance. After all it is OUR tax money from both end of the crossing that funds the building the crossing that is used.
The Public-Private funding would end-up with WE the TAX payers paying for the building of the crossing with our tax money and then afterwards not only pay to use it but also to profit the Private side that build the crossing!!!! This we have seen from the examples we have both in Malaysia, 'the TOLLS' and Singapore 'the ERP'.
Coming to the next point, increasing the TOLLS is the very example of further taxing us THE TAXPAYER and also user of the crossings into either Nation. As Malpaso and Cow have pointed out 'one side taxes the other follows' and though initially it will reduce the flow of traffic, it will eventually, in a very short period of time, return it the "NORMAL JAM". It would not have achieved it's intended purpose of cutting down the JAM, BUT would be causing a permanently additional cost of traveling to the "Other side" to either work, conduct business or for leisure!!!!
A cost that is NOT correspondingly met with wage increasing! being the current economic situation where the salaries are either frozen or cut to "help" the organization to weather the economic situation!! However when there is an Up turn in the Economy and profits are being raked in, salaries and Bonus are still scarce or non-existence BECAUSE the organization has to recoup it's loses it face during the downturn. The ONLY ones laughing, literally, to the bank are the senior management who "had to deal with the difficulties" of the economic downturn!!! Like they were really suffering the effects of it...... So the "workers" for the want of using a better term to describe the rest of the workforce i.e. US, can go and "get stuff, die, fly a kite or whatever terms use to describe the salaried person" will just bear the brunt and cost of it.
So don't get too wrapped up in "thought of" increase the TOLLS both way and we will see a reduction of the jam to both sides of the crossing. The JAM is caused not by the volume of traffic crossing the checkpoints BUT the lack of Staffing at either ends during the PEAK periods or for that matter at most times. The increase in tolls WILL NOT solve to traffic problem, it will only come back later when the necessity to crossover the crossing overwrites the increase tolls and those that NEED to cross are once again in the "JAM" and also pay an INCREASED toll charge......
