That’s right, there will be no more toll plaza booths and barriers on Malaysian highways by 2020 if all goes to plan. Just zoom through with cashless payment, as we will adopt the multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system for highways by then, New Straits Times reports.
Deputy Works Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said the system will enable faster cashless toll collection without the use of booths on highways. She also revealed the gradual steps and timelines.
“This will be carried out after we introduce the single lane free flow in 2019. The Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system is already being implemented in stages. We are targeting 126 toll plazas to implement the system while cash payment for tolls will cease by 2018.
“After a full conversion of the ETC system on all highways, we will proceed with the single lane free flow and multi-lane free flow later in 2020. It will see the use of a sticker installed on vehicles (stored with value for payment). The system will be backed by a service provider which is currently offered by Touch N Go.
“With MLFF, the cashless payment will be carried out at high speed as it will not have any plaza booths with barricades,” she said in reply to a question by Datuk Seri Boon Som Inong in the Dewan Negara. PLUS could be already testing system.
Rosnah added that based on a study by the Malaysian Highway Authority, ETC has managed to reduce traffic congestion at toll plazas between 30% to 50%.
“The usage rate among motorists have also increased from 65% to 85% (after implementation of ETC), as it allows them to save time. An average of six seconds is needed for payment at Touch N Go lanes, three seconds at Smart Tag lanes, compared to 15 seconds at cash booths,” she explained.
Source : Paultan Org