Toll Booths

IMG_3208
Originally uploaded by wanhashim

Another way of increasing the capacity of toll facilities is by providing more toll booths within one lane of traffic direction as shown in the picture. With the limited space available, the number of vehicles being processed at any one time will be higher. However, there seems to be an increased in vehicle conflicts (which can lead to accident) while exiting the multiple toll booths.

Toll Free Rides During Raya Celebration

As part of an initiative to encourage users travelling using their highways, the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway and the East Coast Expressway can drive toll free from September 18 to September 24 from midnight to 5am. According to this report, the toll-free hours are applicable to all classes of vehicles, including commercial vehicle. Users can saved up to RM29 in toll for a one-way trip using the East Coast Expressway.

I totally agree with the intention of the concessionaires of the Expressway, MTD, to introduce the toll-free initiative. However, the timing of the toll free period is quite misleading since there are not many vehicles travelling from midnight to 5 am except for commercial vehicles. The commercial vehicles will fully utilize the timing since it will be very beneficial to them for doing so. May be with the announcement of the toll-free period, more private vehicle users will start travelling from midnight till 5 am in the morning and that will introduce another set of problems such as increase in the rate of accidents. As reported somewhere else, the period which has high accident rate is from midnight till 5 am in the morning may be due to drivers fatigues, drowsiness etc.

I think, the concessionaires should decrease also toll rate during other off peak period in order to allow different categories of drives to travel at different time of the day and not necessarily from midnight till 5 am in the morning.