Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi announced yesterday via Twitter that he had held a meeting with key industry players to discuss the potential implementation of the Multi-Lane Free Flow toll system in Malaysia. Present are all 32 local tolled highway concessionaires as well as relevant parties and stakeholders, he added.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the MLFF system has been considered to replace conventional toll plazas, with plans of implementing the technology proposed and tested numerous times in the country since 2008. In fact, previous Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof was optimistic that Malaysia’s own MLFF system would be up and running by 2025.
Hari ini, saya memanggil kesemua 32 buah syarikat konsesi serta pemegang taruh pemain industri lebuh raya bertol di Malaysia bagi mendapatkan maklum balas secara terus berkaitan pelaksanaan sistem kutipan tol tanpa henti di lebuhraya atau Multi Lane Fast Flow (MLFF). pic.twitter.com/1ctvSY6Dvx
— Alexander Nanta Linggi (@AlexNantaLinggi) February 15, 2023
On that note, no specific timeline has been specified just yet this time around, and it is unclear whether the current government is sticking to Fadillah’s initial goal. Nevertheless, Linggi followed up on his tweet saying that all industry players are welcoming the move towards implementing MLFF with open arms, and that a few details are currently being fine tuned to ensure that the system will provide the best service to Malaysians.
Until further information is provided, it is still uncertain on how exactly the supposedly upcoming MLFF system will work. If it were to be anything like Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), this would mean that road users will have to acquire an In-vehicle Unit (IU), which functions more or less similar to Touch ‘n Go’s SmartTAG device – the only difference is the lack of reliance on plazas with toll gates.
Secara keseluruhannya, kesemua pemain industri menyambut baik pelaksanaan MLFF ini dan beberapa perkara terkait sistem ini sedang diperhalusi bagi memastikan penyampaian servis terbaik kepada pengguna. Saya akan kongsikan sedikit masa lagi. pic.twitter.com/ey05OYpyaT
— Alexander Nanta Linggi (@AlexNantaLinggi) February 15, 2023
Without a doubt, having a system such as MLFF that allows for seamless and contactless toll payments has the potential to greatly reduce congestion on Malaysian highways. However, a proper planning for its implementation needs to be settled first in order to ensure that it won’t end up adding more problems on top of the ones that already exist.
(Source: Alexander Nanta Linggi [1] [2], via Twitter)
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