Johor Causeway 400% toll hike unfair, severe blow to commuters, say lawmakers
Johor politicians from both sides of the divide have lashed out at the national highway authority over the newly announced 400% toll hike at the Causeway, calling it unfair and a burden, especially to those working in Singapore.
Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong said the hike was a heavy blow to Malaysians who commute daily to the island republic for work.
"All these hardships are imposed because the cronies have to be paid for the highway and other projects they built. It is totally unacceptable," he said.
He said that a motorist currently paying RM2.90 one way would have to pay RM16.50 when the new toll comes into effect on August 1, and this would mean more people would use motorbikes instead of cars.
"Their options are either to pay more, car pool or use motorbikes instead of cars, and all these options come with greater difficulties.
"For instance, more people on motorbikes means more road accidents and deaths," Liew added.
The move to revise the toll rate at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Johor Baru comes on the heels of Putrajaya’s plans to introduce a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fee for all foreign vehicles entering Johor.
Bukit Batu assemblyperson Jimmy Puah also lashed out at the increase and questioned if it has anything to do with the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL), which is the elevated highway built to disperse traffic towards Johor Baru town from the CIQ to the North-South Highway.
He also wanted to know if Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) was still the toll concession holder for the EDL.
Puah questioned the justification for the “ridiculous” hike when MRCB's concession was for 34 years.
Johor assembly Opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau agreed, and called on Putrajaya to explain to the public the terms of both concessions; the one assigned to PLUS to collect toll fees at the CIQ and the other concession given to MRCB to build and collect toll fees for the use of the EDL connecting Johor Bahru CIQ and North-South Highway.
He pointed out that minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop had said in September 2012 that the government will absorb the cost of constructing the EDL by paying MRCB.
According to Boo, PLUS had been collecting toll for 20 years and it is estimated that the collection ranged between RM867 million and RM1.5 billion during that period. He added that the amount collected was sufficient to bear the construction of the EDL which is estimated to cost RM1.4 billion.
According to Boo, the Johor causeway was built in 1919 by the British government and the collection of toll was not only meant for the use of the causeway, but was, in fact, to enable PLUS to raise funds to complete the North-South Highway, which was supposed to end at the Johor Baru CIQ.
"So, PLUS should bear the cost of the EDL with the toll collected from the Johor Baru CIQ.
"And the government should not use funds from the National Treasury, involving taxpayers’ money from EPF or Tabung Haji, to bear the cost of the EDL; PLUS should bear the cost," he said, urging Putrajaya to put the needs of the people first.
Boo also urged former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to clarify the terms of the agreement the government had inked with PLUS on toll collection at the Johor Baru CIQ.
The CIQ project was launched by Dr Mahathir before he left office in 2003.
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, meanwhile, pointed out that the toll hike would result in more people using motorbikes and thereby increasing the rate of road accidents.
She called on the authorities to improve public transport to Singapore, adding that the train service to the island state needed to be upgraded.
Umno lawmaker Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has also criticised the exorbitant toll hike, and said it should be postponed pending further analysis.
The Pulai MP said the toll hike would first and foremost burden Johoreans working in Singapore.
"I don't understand the rationale for the toll hike that is clearly going to burden the people in Johor who work in Singapore, when they still have to go through heavy traffic on a daily basis," Nur Jazlan said in a statement.
The Public Accounts Committee chairman added that the rationale that the toll hike was needed to bear the cost of the EDL did not make sense.
"EDL is a privatisation project that is supposed to benefit the public and not incur higher toll," he said.
Nur Jazlan also questioned the Malaysian Highway Authority's (LLM) rationale that those who were not crossing over to Johor would not be affected.
"It means that those using EDL, but who do not enter Singapore, would be exempted from paying toll. But those using the highway have to pay toll and as such, are forced to bear the construction cost, so where is the justice in that?" he asked.
According to LLM, passenger car rates will, beginning Friday, be raised from RM2.90 to RM16.50 (RM9.70 inbound and RM6.80 outbound), while taxis will have to pay a total of RM8.20 (RM4.80 inbound, RM3.40 outbound), up from the previous RM1.40.
The charges for buses have been raised from RM2.30 to RM13.30 (RM7.80 inbound, RM5.50 outbound).
Toll for Class Two vehicles will go up from RM4.50 to RM24.90 (RM14.70 inbound and RM10.20 outbound) while Class Three vehicles would have to fork out RM33.30 (RM19.70 inbound, RM13.60 outbound) both ways, up from the previous RM6.10. – July 27, 2014.
