KUALA LUMPUR: The majority of Malaysians will be spared a toll hike next year.  The increasing number of foreign vehicles entering the country through the Johor Causeway has been cited as the reason for the higher toll and motorists have to pay 30 sen more from Jan 1. 

 The cabinet yesterday decided not to increase toll for some of the major highways and the government would fork out RM242 million as compensation to the toll concessionaires.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said tolls would not be raised on the North-South Expressway, the Penang Bridge, Ampang Elevated Highway and the West Kuala Lumpur Highway (Kerinchi-Damansara Links).

The routes that will see an increase in toll charges are the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway, Elite Highway, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, New North Klang Straits Bypass Expressway, the Johor Causeway and Bukit Kayu Hitam toll plaza.

Samy Vellu reasoned that the routes would have higher toll rates as traffic on them was less as they were not as widely used compared with the other highways. 

They would have between seven and 50 per cent increase in toll.

The compensation to be paid to the four concessionaires are RM145 million (North-South Expressway), RM39 million (Penang Bridge), RM32 million (West Kuala Lumpur Highway) and RM26 million (Ampang Elevated Highway).

Litrak, the concessionaire for the Damansara-Puchong Expressway, would be paid RM75 million in compensation, which is the second and final instalment, for maintaining the toll at RM1.60 instead of the proposed RM2.10.

RM27 million would be paid to the concessionaire of New North Klang Straits Bypass Expressway for not increasing toll from 2005 to 2007.

The increasing number of foreign vehicles entering the country through the Johor Causeway and the Bukit Kayu Hitam toll plaza has been cited as reasons for the higher tolls and motorists have to pay 30 sen more at both the entry points.

Motorists plying the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway would have to pay RM3.20 (30 sen increase) at the Mambau toll plaza and 80 sen (10 sen increase) at the Lukut toll plaza.

The toll on the Elite Highway for cars has been increased by 10 per cent from 13.6 sen per km to 14.96 sen. 

The charge on the Kulim-Butterworth Highway has been raised from RM1.30 to RM1.60.

On the SecondLink, motorists would have to pay RM1.60 (from the present RM1.30) at the Tanjung Kupang toll plaza, RM3.90 (from RM3.10) at the Lima Kedai toll plaza and RM2.30 (from RM1.80) at the Perling toll plaza.

On the New North Klang Straits Bypass Expressway motorists would have to pay 60 sen (increase of 20 sen) at Bukit Raja, RM2.70 (increase of 60 sen) at Kapar and RM1.40 (increase of 40 sen) at the other Bukit Raja toll plaza.

The new rates are valid until Dec 31, next year. The government will decide later if there is to be an increase in 2009.

"We have to do some studies on it," Samy Vellu said.