PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has decided on Dec 12 to freeze all toll hikes for all vehicle classes on 21 highways across the country that were eligible for an increase in 2019.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said this was a marked enhancement from the Budget 2019 announcement made on Nov 2, which scheduled to freeze all toll hikes next year for intra-city tolls only.
Aside from the comprehensive toll hike freeze for 21 highways nationwide, he added, the decision would also involve buses on eight highways, along with the abolition of motorcycle tolls for the Penang Bridge (First Penang Bridge), the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge (Second Penang Bridge) and the Second Link in Johor beginning Jan 1 next year, which would cost the government RM994.43 million.
“The comprehensive toll hike freeze is an ongoing effort by the Pakatan Harapan-led federal government to alleviate the burden of rising living costs borne by all Malaysians.
“(Due to the) the toll hike freeze for all vehicle classes on these 21 highways, the government will incur RM972.75 million in compensation payments to the relevant highway toll concessionaires for 2019,” said the minister in a statement today, adding that nearly 40 tolls on these 21 highways would be affected by the decision.
The 21 highways are the North-South Highway; Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Highway; Kesas Highway; North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE Highway) ; East Coast Highway Phase 1; Sungai Besi Highway (Besraya); New Pantai Expressway (NPE); Damansara-Puchong Expressway; Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh); Butterworth-Kulim Expressway; Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway; Maju Expressway (MEX); Kajang–Seremban Highway (Lekas); Senai-Desaru Expressway; Sprint Highway;South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE); Seremban-Port Dickson Highway;New North Klang Straits Bypass (NNKSB); Guthrie Corridor Expressway; Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge (JPP2) and Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART).
For Class 5 vehicles (buses), Lim said, the Cabinet had given the greenlight to freeze toll hikes with an estimated cost of RM1.68 million on eight highways - Cheras-Kajang Highway (Grand Saga); Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway; Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway; Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) Highway; Kajang Silk Highway; KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway; New Pantai Expressway, and Sprint Highway, involving about 20 tolls.
As announced in the tabling of Budget 2019, the minister said the government would abolish toll for motorcyclists travelling through the Penang Bridge (First Penang Bridge) and the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge (Second Penang Bridge) in Penang, as well as through the Second Link in Johor.
“This measure will cost the government about RM20 million per annum in compensation payments effective Jan 1 2019.”
Lim added the government was currently studying the best method to fulfil its general election manifesto promise as stated in the Buku Harapan, adding the toll hike freeze was part of these efforts.