Toll-free Highways Not Possible?

  1. Tun Dr. Mahathir has said that it is not possible to have toll-free roads under current government revenue and spending pattern.
  2. If we must commit to Pakatan’s manifesto, then it means the government’s revenue must be increased.
  3. The Prime Minister also said that they did not expect to win the election when they crafted the manifesto.
  4. There are people who believed that the new government can abolish the tolls for expressways. Hence, they voted for the new government.
  5. The new government then realized many of the populist moves spelt out in their manifeso is not feasible and this is not just because of the huge debt left by the previous government. The revenue stream simply cannot sustain their planned spending pattern.
  6. The new government has less than 5 years from now to prove their capability. Otherwise, people may vote them out in the next upcoming General Election.
  7. Many of the expressway development in Malaysia is being undertaken by private entities. This is because of the huge cost involved in building these expressways.
  8. The limited amount of budget allocated for road maintenance can be channelled towards maintaining other Federal or State roads.
  9. Therefore, while having tolls is not a popular move, it helps to improvise the living condition of the urban population by reducing their travel time within the city or between major cities in Malaysia.