LDP must come up with incentive plan, says engineer

A CONSULTING engineer has suggested the concessionaire of the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) come up with an incentive plan to ease the traffic flow which has reached a critical mass.

"The operator must offer some kind of carrot in order to ease the jam, like providing reduced toll rates for vehicles with more than one passenger," said vice-president of Institute of Engineers Malaysia, Datuk Ir Dr Rashid Maidin.

He said the concessionaire was having a windfall, having reached more than 120,000 vehicles per day on the LDP.

"Rather than just wait for the authorities to come up with short-term measures, the concessionaire is duty bound to provide good service to the public," said Dr Rashid, who is also chairman of Consulting Engineers of Malaysia.

"I am not propagating a class action against the concessionaire.  But in other countries this would be the norm.  If you don?t provide standard service, than people have the right to haul the service provider to court," he told Malay Mail.

Either the carrot to get motorist to carry more passengers or the use of the rod by the authorities, he said, will do some good in reducing the traffic congestion on the highway.

By passing the initial proposal to build an alternative highway as recommended by PLUS expressways Bhd, the Work Minister announced that the construction of a light rail transit (LRT) line was more suitable as it was cheaper in terms of capital outlay.

Its minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohaned had said he supported the LRT proposal and would recommend it to the Economic Planning Unit.

The Sungai Penchala and the Bandar Sunway tolls seem to be the worst-congested areas, while the situation at toll booths in the south and west of Puchong and Sri Petaling were no better with daily traffic volume surpassing 120,000 vehicles.

"And in the interim the concessionaire must work out an incentive plan to the highway users in order to ease the congestion," said Rashid.