Speaking to reporters after chairing the Cabinet committee meeting on traffic congestion, he said the committee would also look into opening new lanes on main roads in order to ease congestion during peak hours.

“The first step we feel needs addressing is to identify the roads that have been closed for construction or road works, and reopen them. Some of them have been closed for years,” he said.

“We will coordinate where road works or construction are taking place so that we can reduce road closures in these areas.”

The meeting was also attended by transport minister Loke Siew Fook, who said the newly-formed committee would meet four times a year.

According to Zahid, the committee had asked local authorities in the Klang Valley to provide input to the technical committees.

Zahid said apart from promoting the use of public transport, the government was also considering new lanes and routes for buses to widen their reach.

“We did not ask for any additional allocation of funds. The transport minister will take proactive steps for quick wins here,” he said.

In February, digital mapping company TomTom found that drivers in Kuala Lumpur would have lost 159 hours last year on the road during peak hours in the city centre.

It said out of the 159 hours lost on the road, almost half, or 75 hours, was due to traffic congestion.