Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) chairman Noor Azmi Ghazali said all 177 toll plazas in 31 highways across the country would no longer use cash as a form of transaction.
“The full launch of the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system will help to reduce traffic congestion by 15 to 20%, which will directly help to lessen accidents and environmental pollution.
“This is because the Touch ‘n Go transaction for a car only takes six seconds, a SmartTAG three seconds while a cash lane takes about 15 seconds,” he told reporters after officiating the launch of the Phase 1 East Coast Expressway (LPT1) and Phase 2 East Coast Expressway (LPT2) electronic toll collection implementation at the Temerloh (Timur) Rest and Service area here today.
He said the 19 toll plazas along the 357.9-km long LPT1 and 2 would fully implement the electronic toll collection system.
The event was also attended by LLM director-general Ismail Salleh, Anih Berhad executive director Nik Fauzi Nik Hussein, and LPT2 Sdn Bhd general manager Husni Md Yusof.
Noor Azmi also assured motorists that the implementation of the ETC system would not affect the jobs of the 316 toll clerks employed at LPT 1 and 2.
“In LPT1 we have a total of 189 toll clerks while in LPT2 there are 127. We have given an assurance that no personnel will lose their jobs as they are still required to ensure smooth operation besides being assigned to other tasks,” he added.