Ahead of the planned implementation of the multi-lane fast flow (MLFF) toll collection system, the government is working to resolve concerns regarding the collection of toll charges, specifically in terms of toll evasion and the level of enforcement that will be applied to address the issue.
According to works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, the topic of toll evasion was not new and is among the key concerns being addressed as part of the discussions surrounding the MLFF implementation, as the New Straits Times reports.
“Many countries have implemented the MLFF concept, so this is not something that cannot be resolved. The issue is how much leakage can be tolerated, where people pass through without paying and are not identified,” he said.
He said this was among the reasons negotiations with concessionaires had taken longer, as stakeholders wanted assurance that revenue losses from payment evasion would remain negligible. “It is tedious and complicated because all players want to be sure they do not suffer losses. Even if these are small, it is still money,” he explained.
Given the number of incidents where offenders had driven through toll plazas without paying for toll, including many cases where the offences were commited repeatedly, Nanta was asked if there was a plan for the government to criminalise toll evasion and carry out enforcement against offenders.
He said discussions were ongoing over enforcement jurisdiction, including which authority would be responsible for acting against offenders and what measures would be taken against those caught evading payment.
He said that ultimately, authorities had to strike a balance between effective punishment and fairness. While fines could serve as a deterrent, he said some motorists had become accustomed to paying penalties without changing their behaviour. Conversely, a jail term might be too harsh, he said.
“Fines are one thing, but sometimes people get used to paying fines and think it is no big deal. But if we go as far as imposing jail sentences, that may be too much as well. So there must be a balance in terms of punishment for those who wrongly use our roads,” he told the publication, adding that safeguards must also be in place to protect motorists from being wrongly flagged as toll evaders.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
The highest recorded traffic fine in Switzerland—and a world record—was issued to a Swedish motorist who was clocked driving his Mercedes SLS AMG at 290 km/h on a highway between Berne and Lausanne, well over the 120 km/h limit. The staggering fine totaled over 1.08 million Swiss Francs (approx. USD $1 million).
Why are Swiss fines so high?
Switzerland uses a “day-fine” system (or Milienbuße) for severe traffic violations, meaning penalties scale based on the offender’s personal wealth and income.
Income and Wealth: Fines are calculated as a percentage of your daily income, and the court factors in the total value of your assets.
Equal Impact: The philosophy behind the law is that a traffic ticket should act as a deterrent for everyone, meaning the punishment “hurts” the same whether the offender earns minimum wage or millions
this law wont work in malaysia because politicians and cronies make use of polis outrider escort riders and drivers . .then if you call them out, they will ask you to read the Rukunegara weekly.
Trust your rakyat. Majority of rakyat are good citizenz.
yeah right. most rakyat are criminals from T1 to B99. see how many supercars are motorbikes are stopped at roadblock without insurance/roadtax.
obviously you need to seize their cars, the same way that jpj does with cars without roadtax/insurance
Pick anything and any amount, but it’ll still be only relevant to the bottom 99%… the biggest offenders are those that are so high up, they just ignore the fines or sentences. We’ll never progress until enforcement is carried out fairly. I know people who haven’t paid decade-old fines and have zero fear.
Too harsh? Evading MLFF, assuming we’re going ahead with LPR, means you’re essentially hiding your license plate – or worse, using fake details. Jail is definitely the right punishment for these type of people.
motorbikes are exempt from paying toll. so why have a double standard for cars?
just force the criminals to buy perodua qve and support our national brand
when anyone can order a car registration plate from online shopping platforms, this creates an enforcement nightmare. What is stopping a car going through MLFF tolls using another person’s car plates? This needs to be tackled first and foremost. It is like implementing Budi95 when everyone is running around with fake IDs
If it is using number plate recognition, then can block the offenders from passing plaza toll for next trip , so no issues of commiting repeatedly. Settle first, then pass through.
What if they are duplicating numbe plates belonging to others? Innocent people will be punished. There’s a group of people in who will turn anything into a business, even con jobs and i foresee selling duplicate number plates matching exact same make and model of car becoming a hot business. They used to do this for scrap cars illegally brought in from Sg. They duplicated numbet plates of cars from same make and model.
How are they going to block at the toll plaza if the whole purpose of MLFF is to remove the barrier entirely for smooth traffic flow? It has to be in a way that makes life hard for them – huge fine/demerit points/license forfeiture/can’t renew road tax+insurance.
And give people an online option to pay – key in number plate, photo of your car passing through the gantry pops up, payment option – credit/debit card or e-wallet or bank transfer or whatever la and pay. Have a time limit like 3 days (Aus does this) if not paid after, then terus saman. This will also cover foreigners, rental cars and foreign tour buses.
If clone number plate then it becomes mafan, but the easiest way is to sort out the issuance of number plates altogether but nobody seems to want to tackle that problem. Must jaga accessory shop…
I’d love to see that Swiss type fine system described by Eazy in action here. One can dream…
Even though it may sound harsh, it doesn’t matter whether they’re T20, M40, or even B40. If they continue behaving like this, fines won’t change anything — jail is the only punishment that will make an impact
way to harsh? Then define it what way is not too harsh? It is the user sole responsibility to pay their toll, dont ell me they do not need to pay toll….if u refuse to pay then use federal road lah , simple as that FOC somemore….
Of course jail is too harsh. Many people just get job transfer only.
Remove budi95 for a year.
But honestly, nothing beats having a police car in view.
When MOT / JPJ want to start enforce standard plate number design issuance by authorized vendor?
Why so slow and limit to EV???
Why this authorized vendor crap in the first place? RTD/JPJ bikin sendiri la…controlled issuance through a government department. No proof of ownership/insurance/IC/drivers licence then no standard plate issued. Revenue also all go to gomen. No issue with LPR/ANPR misreading. Simple. Then next round renew road tax all fail, kenot renew. Insurance also kenot. Then buat operasi/roadblock…terus impound kereta/moto/lori. But noooooooo…too many tauke accessories shop to keep hepi deswai…
because knowing how govt department works anything will take 3 to 5 business days to get it done.
while private workshop can do it in a matter of hours.
And that’s precisely the problem you smooth brain. The private workshops can’t be trusted not to clone plates. If they were trustworthy, the problem wouldn’t exist in the first place. Talk about 1 dimensional thinking.
i didnt mention anything about trustworthiness because thats a different topic you maron. the point i am trying to get into your thick skull is that private workshops are faster and more efficient compared to govt bureacracy.
ironic because JPJ itself also isnt trustworthy if the recent car transfer scandal is anything to go by