BANGI: Stop building highways in the Klang Valley, increase tolls in the area but reduce them elsewhere and focus on improving the public transportation system.

According to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia public transport consultant Prof Dr Abd Rahim Md Nor, These are some of the ways to make people use public transport and reduce congestion on roads.

He said the government should also discourage people in the Klang Valley from driving by focusing on rail, monorail and a commuter services.

"If the government builds more highways in the Klang Valley, people will continue to use cars.

"The congestion problem will never get solved," said the public transportation expert on the results of study on 12 highways nationwide.

Abd Rahim said the government had been giving priority to highways development and not public transport in urban areas.

He said in London, the local authority discouraged motorists from driving into the city by charging a levy on cars.

"I hope the government will do the same in the Kuala Lumpur city centre area."

Abd Rahim said Malaysians still overestimated the benefits of highways as a way to escape from traffic

"They still prefer convenience as compared to keeping the air clean.

"But this has caused bottlenecks and more cars on the road," he said.

Abd Rahim said there might be calls to further reduce toll charges after the fuel price hike.

"But the government should not lose sight.  If they want more people to take public transport, they should take concrete steps."

He suggested a Bus Rapid Transit system running on tracks and on the road.

He said such vehicles had dedicated tacks and were dedicated tracks and were widely used in Florida in the United States.

On why many preferred highways, he said the public transport system was not seamless.

"People are also discouraged as it takes too long to travel from one spot to the other."

The study, which began last October, involved the Ampang-Kl Elevated Highway, Besraya Expressway, Kesas Expressway, Smart Tunnel, New Pantai Expressway and Kulim-Butterworth, Seremban-Port Dickson, Shapadu Expressway, East Coast Highway, Penang Bridge, Butterworth Outer Ring Road and the North-South Highway.