Motorists travelling on the North-South Expressway are advised that Phase Two of Pavement Rehabilitation Work will be underway from next week until the middle of April 2023. The area affected is within the Meru Tunnel (the southbound tunnel next to the northbound Menora Tunnel) between KM260.30 and KM262.05 on the Kuala Kangsar – Ipoh section.
An advisory by PLUS states that there will be temporary closure of the left lane at the tunnel from March 20 (Monday) to April 14 (Friday), 2023. The closure of the lane will be done in stages between 9:00 pm and 12:00 noon daily.
Motorists travelling along the North-South Expressway between Kuala Kangsar and Ipoh are advised that the left lane at the Meru tunnel will be temporarily closed at night. This closure will be from tomorrow (Tuesday, February 7) until Thursday February 16, 2023 for pavement rehabilitation work.
The temporary closure will be activated in stages at the Meru tunnel between KM 260.30 and KM262.05 between 9 pm and 12 noon daily. During this period, the contra flow will be activated in a staggered procedure depending on the traffic situation to facilitate smoother traffic flow.
PLUS advises motorists who are heading south to plan their journey and they can do so with the PLUS app which will give them an idea of traffic conditions along their route. When passing through the affected area, they should adhere to traffic signs and follow any instructions given by PLUS personnel.
The latest traffic information can be obtained from calling the PLUSLine at 1-800-88-0000.
The first major festival of 2023 – Chinese New Year – is coming and as with other festivals, the roads will be filled with more traffic. In fact, it’s already started in the cities as many people grumble about the increased volume lately, making it longer getting around.
In the days just before Chinese New Year, which falls on January 20, the highways are going to start to see more traffic and PLUS estimates that the volume could reach 2 million vehicles on its highway network on the peak days. That’s 20% higher than the number on normal days, so be prepared for journeys to take longer and the R&R places to be more crowded.
PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) aims to reduce the number of deaths and accidents on its North-South Expressway during 2013, using strategic data and statistics. The information will also be shared with other agencies such as the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).
The highway concessionaire has set a target of 7% reduction of the fatality rate involving all types of vehicles, especially heavy vehicles and motorcycles. This will be achieved in collaboration and enforcement by JPJ and PDRM.
Travelers using the North-South Expressway tomorrow (Wednesday, November 30) are advised that there will be temporary closure along the Ipoh Utara – Ipoh Selatan stretch between the two toll plazas. The closure will affect those who are travelling south on the highway from Kuala Kangsar, Penang and the north.
The closure, which is to facilitate an emergency response exercise, will take place from 10 am to 2:30 pm. During that period, highway users from the north/Kuala Kangsar will be diverted to the Ipoh Utara toll plaza to use the FT240 Jelapang – Ampang slip-road. Those who wish to continue south on their journey are advised to rejoin the North-South Expressway via the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza.
If you are a frequent traveller along the North-South Expressway and pass through the Juru area, be advised that there will be a traffic diversion at the Juru Interchange (northbound) for all vehicles from this Thursday at 12 am October 6, until 11 pm November 13, 2022 (Sunday).
For the 2 million motorists expected to be travelling along highways during this Hari Raya period, toll charges would have been expected to be part of the travelling cost. However, on four days during the festive period, they won’t have to pay any toll, or pay a discounted rate.
Announced by the Prime Minister this afternoon, the special concession will be on April 30/May 1 and May 7/May 8. It will be applicable to all classes of vehicles. The total amount of toll that will not be collected is estimated at RM77.11 million.
The full exemption of toll will be on the PLUS and LTP (East Coast) highways, Penang Bridge, and Second Link while other highways will have 30% or 50% discount.
Opened in 2011, the LATAR highway from Templer’s Park in Selangor provides a quick connection to Kuala Selangor and the West Coast Expressway. It is also accessible from Shah Alam using the GCE.
PLUS also says that facilities (including food and beverage outlets) and services at all its R&Rs and lay-bys along the highways will be operating 24-hours a day throughout the Hari Raya. In anticipation of more visitors to these areas, there will be additional mobile toilets and water tankers.
However, if over-crowding disrupts traffic flow along the highway, some of the rest areas will be temporarily closed to manage the congestion and will be immediately re-opened once the crowd has dispersed and traffic flow is back to normal. It should also be remembered that social distancing is still required for public safety. Let’s prevent the case numbers from going back up again.
Finally, whether you are using a Touch’nGo card, SmartTAG or RFID, be sure that your tollcard or e-wallet has enough balance to cover the toll charges if you are travelling on other days. There will be a lot of vehicles behind you so don’t cause others inconvenience by not being able to pass through because you didn’t have enough balance. The PLUS website has a toll charge calculator which can let you know exactly the amount you need to pay between two toll plazas.
The electrification of Malaysian motoring is progressing as the government and private sector are taking more initiatives to facilitate the use of electric vehicles (EVs). This is necessary to meet Malaysia’s Low Carbon Mobility Development Plan 2021-2030 to reduce greenhouse gas up to 45% by 2030, and to qualify as a carbon-neutral country by 2050.
One of the issues that those thinking of buying EVs is recharging the battery packs of their vehicles. Depending on the model and how they drive, the range on a full charge can be between 250 and 400 kms. So long-distance driving will only be possible if they are assured of place to recharge along the way, if needed.
As the sale of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) which also need recharging has only started in recent years, the network of charging stations has been small, mostly confined to urban areas. At the moment, there are only 500+ stations in the country (compared to 3,700 petrol stations) but efforts are being made to grow this number quickly.
One of the private-sector initiatives in this area is a collaboration between PLUS Malaysia and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). Both parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to reduce carbon emissions on PLUS highways through 3 sustainability initiatives – the development of the charging station network, installation of energy efficiency monitoring, and solar photovoltaic systems at selected R&Rs along the PLUS highway network.
This collaboration will see EV charging stations being set up at selected strategic R&Rs along PLUS highway. Through TNB’s role as an enabler, PLUS is the first concessionaire to embark on a network of EV charging stations along its infrastructure. The availability of charging stations is expected to attract not only new users of EVs but also transport operators, especially multinational companies planning to switch their fleets from using vehicles with internal combustion engines to electrically-powered vehicles, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions while saving on operational costs.
According to PLUS Managing Director, Datuk Azman Ismail, the company’s other green initiatives include the use of green technology at its office premises, the use of recycled pavement to re-pave roads at the R&Rs, as well as applying more environmentally-friendly materials in its highway operations.
The collaboration will also see the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the Northbound Ayer Keroh (above) and Tapah (below) R&Rs which can provided over 360 kWp (kilowatt peak) of electricity from sunshine to power operations at the two locations.
“This initiative to further increase the network of charging stations will provide EV customers the convenience for a smoother, safer and more comfortable journey on PLUS highways,” he said, adding that charging stations are expected to attract not only new users of EVs but also transport operators, especially multinational companies planning to switch their fleets from using vehicles powered with internal combustion engines to electrically-powered vehicles, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions while saving on operational costs.
“TNB will provide a reliable and stable electricity supply to the EV charging ecosystem that is agreed upon by both parties. In addition, TNB also offers solutions to PLUS that can optimize electricity costs and support green and sustainable energy sources in reducing carbon emissions,” said TNB President & CEO, Datuk Ir. Baharin Din.
PLUS Malaysia has taken note of the Prime Minister’s directive to ensure that highway users have more than just the RFID mode of payment to use to electronically pay toll charges. The RFID option has co-existed with the SmartTAG and Touch ‘n Go payment options in most open toll highway networks since 2018 and last Saturday, PLUS introduced it along the North-South Expressway so that motorists who travelled from Juru in the north to Skudai in the south could also use the payment mode.
However, the move caused severe congestion at many toll plazas due to confusion as well as the reduction of SmartTAG lanes which had either been converted to the manual Touch ‘n Go system or to RFID lanes. This appears to not have been the best approach as there are 5 million SmartTAG users but at this time, only 1.5 million vehicles have RFID tags. So it actually makes sense that proportionally, there should be more lanes for the system that has more users.
Apologising to the thousands of motorists for the inconvenience caused as a result of the congestion, PLUS has announced this evening that it will reinstate SmartTAG lanes to address the matter and manage traffic at the toll plazas.
“PLUS is committed to reinstate 16 toll plazas with 19 Touch ‘n Go lanes into SmartTAG lanes by January 25, 2022, in antipication of the Chinese New Year travel exodus. Subsequently, post-CNY, on February 19, an additional 18 toll plazas will convert 24 lanes to SmartTAG lanes”, the statement said.
While the PM’s directive was reported today, PLUS officials had earlier been in discussion with the Senior Minister of Works, Dato’ Sri Hj Fadillah Haji Yusof and the Director-General of the Malaysia Highway Authority (LLM), Dato Ir Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan, in response to concerns and unhappiness of the public’s during the initial RFID implementation and the removal of the SmartTag lanes at certain toll plazas.
PLUS has proactively identified areas of improvement and has assured the government that the highway technological enhancement will lead to a better and improved customer experience. The RFID project is in line with the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) blueprint by the Ministry of Works towards a congestion-free Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) highway eco-system.
Faster-operating double-arm barriers will be installed so that the opening time is quicker and the vehicle can continue forward smoothly.
Acknowledging the inconvenience caused to highway users, PLUS says it is fully committed to improving its overall highway customer experience. Teams have been formed to work around the clock on the ground to optimize system performance and sharpen detection at all toll plazas. Quicker ‘double arm’ lane barriers will also be deployed at plazas with high traffic to ensure traffic flow is faster. A double-arm barrier has two sections, each about half the length of the long single barrier and should open up faster. Additionally, visual RFID detection zones will be painted on the lanes to ensure motorists are able to position their vehicle to ensure optimum detection.
PLUS has also assigned customer service assistants (CSAs) at all 158 RFID lanes at 74 toll plazas to assist customers who are stuck at the lanes, These personnel will have portable detection devices to determine if there is a malfunction of the RFID tags. Motorists whose RFID tag is found to be undetectable will be given a coupon for a full diagnosis at the nearest Touch ‘n Go fitment centre. If the RFID tag still has detection issues after the test, Touch ‘n Go will replace the RFID tag for free.
For motorists’ convenience, there are 24 RFID fitment centres on PLUS highways and 35 at locations outside PLUS highways. PLUS will continue to work with Touch ‘n Go to increase the number of fitment centres to ensure proper tag application by professional personnel.
The government believes that motorists using highways should have a choice of payments, rather than be forced to use only RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification). This was decided after a Cabinet meeting yesterday and was announced by the Prime Minister who was responding to the congestion that was caused when PLUS, the major toll concessionaire in Malaysia, introduced RFID for Electronic Toll Payment (ETP) on the entire length of its North-South Expressway from last Saturday.
Various factors appear to have contributed to the massive congestion, from the reduced number of lanes for other ETP methods (ie the Touch ‘n Go card being tapped on a reader and the contactless SmartTAG with the TnG card) to failure of the RFID sensors to detect the tags on the vehicles, as well as confusion due to some (or all) SmartTAG lanes being converted to RFID lanes. Improper placement of the RFID tags, which are very tiny devices, has also been identified as a possible cause for non-detection and it is possible some of the tags, priced at RM35 (although it is known that they cost less than RM1) each, may be defective.
The two locations for sticking the RFID tags/ They are on the outside surface so they will be exposed and motorists are concerned about durability in the long-term. Care has also to be taken at automatic carwashes where the brushes could damage or even rub off the RFID tag. A replacement costs RM35 at this time.
Non-detection of the RFID tag is among the reasons that have caused the massive congestion at toll plazas and PLUS has stationed personnel with handheld devices to check on the device function.
“The Cabinet, in its meeting today, is of the view that road-users must be given a choice, just like how it was practiced when Touch ‘n Go was introduced in its early years and cash payments were still allowed to continue. Users must be given the freedom whether to use RFID, Touch ‘n Go or SmartTAG,” said the Prime Minister.
He said that the toll concessionaires should not make all lanes use only the RFID method. “If there are 10 lanes, maybe several lanes for RFID and the rest should be for TnG and SmartTAG. We don’t want to pressure motorists,” he said, adding that any matter regarding toll payments by Malaysians will need to be referred to the Cabinet.
Like the SmartTAG, the RFID method also allows contactless ETP but uses the radio frequency for its signal instead of infrared (IR) that is used by the SmartTAG (which requires a TnG card to be present in the unit). PLUS claims that RFID offers quicker processing (but the vehicle must not travel faster than 30 km/h through the lane) without the vehicle having to stop for detection. However, the IR system does not require motorists to stop either, as millions of motorists will know. In places like Germany which use the IR system, vehicles can pass under the sensors (no toll plazas needed) at up to 100 km/h because they do not have to stop for the barrier to open.
Toll collection in Germany using the infra-red system similar to that used for the SmartTAG in Malaysia.
“In Germany, the Nationwide Truck Tolling System installed on all highways in a Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) configuration has proven to be highly effective, catering to more than two million trucks travelling at up to 100 km/h. It uses a similar IR technology like in Malaysia to validate payment. We have also successfully replicated this test in Malaysia. Our SmartTAG compatible units comply with DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) standards and are ECE R10 certified. They operate in the 400THz band and are therefore able to transfer data 10,000 times faster than RFID. Being battery-powered, every unit is active with a wake-up time of just two milliseconds compared to the passive RFID’s 45 milliseconds,” said EFKON Asia, the Austrian technology provider that developed the IR-based toll collection system used on Malaysian highways.
According to PLUS, a SmartTAG lane can allow up to 1,000 vehicles through in an hour (550 with manual tapping). With RFID, PLUS claims that the processing rate can be faster and they state a speed of about 1,200 vehicles an hour. But that claimed quicker rate of processing is nullified since in both methods, vehicles still have to wait for the barrier to rise. Unless there is some innovation that can make the barrier rise faster in the RFID lane than in the SmartTAG lane, the pass-through rate will be the same.
No toll plazas on Singapore roads to cause congestion; motorists pay toll electronically when they enter the Central Business District where there are varying charges throughout the day.
Why does there need to be a barrier when, in other countries, they have already done away with the barrier? In Singapore, for example, their toll collection for the road pricing system (ERP) around the Central Business District is done without barriers and vehicles just drive under gantries and their payment is electronically collected. While the system used is a different type (wireless shortwave), the point is that they do not need barriers which slow down traffic flow. According to PLUS, they still need to have a barrier as there is no legal framework yet to protect their interests.
PLUS is promoting RFID as the first step towards the Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system in future which will have no barriers and therefore eliminate congestion in places where toll has to be collected. However, there is no clear evidence that continued use of the SmartTAG method cannot also achieve MLFF. RFID requires further new investments – not to mention motorists having to spend again to install a new ETP system – whereas the IR system is already in place and runs reasonably reliably.
The toll plaza along the Federal Highway near Subang Jaya which was set up in the 1990s and removed just before the last General Election. Although its removal should have speeded up traffic flow, the situation today seems to be even more congested as traffic builds up more quickly at the bottleneck further down the road (near the Subang Jaya turnoff).
But whether removal of a barrier and even the whole toll plaza will allow traffic to flow more smoothly and remove congestion is uncertain if you look at one example where it has happened. This is the toll plaza near Subang Jaya in Selangor which was set up in the 1990s and then removed some years ago, just before a General Election. It seems that even with no toll collection being done, there is still congestion on that stretch so it is no different from before. In fact, some feel that when there was a toll plaza, at least the traffic flow was regulated and was slightly better on the other side of the toll plaza.
In a consumer society, choices and freedom of choices are important elements. Consumers will choose what they believe to be the best for their needs and in the case of ETP, there will be some who may even prefer cash payment. These could be people living in rural areas who travel on highways infrequently and who do not want their money stuck in some e-wallet, or spend money buying a SmartTAG that they will use only once a month. Many may like the TnG card since it can not only be used for ETP but also for parking and even travel on public transport. The RFID system may have a few advantages but for now, it seems that all it can be used for is ETP, which makes it poor value for money.
