Road safety activist Shahrim Tamrin, who made the projection, said the discounts were not only unnecessary but would exacerbate road congestion, air pollution, and noise pollution.

“Previously, with or without the discount or toll-free, people would still commit to travel during the festive seasons. This has been the case over the years,” he said in a statement.

Shahrim also called out the unfairness of the policy, saying it does not benefit residents of Sabah and Sarawak, where highway tolls are not an issue.

He suggested reallocating the funds to improve public transport and enhance road safety, which would have greater long-term benefits.

“The government could have used this money to purchase new train sets or add rolling stocks for ETS or KTM Komuter services between Arau, Butterworth and Ipoh, which is currently experiencing limited train frequencies,” said Shahrim, who was a Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) board member for three years.

He also suggested reallocating funds to provide free public transport for secondary school students, school bus subsidies, expanding feeder services around MRT and LRT stations, and improving rural and underserved infrastructure.

The government recently reversed its stance on toll waivers, offering a 50% discount for Chinese New Year travel.

This followed an earlier announcement by works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi that toll exemptions during festive seasons would be replaced with a “more targeted approach”.

Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi voiced support for the matter, but communications minister Fahmi Fadzil later clarified that the Cabinet was still discussing it.

Shahrim questioned whether poor communication led to the reversal, suggesting there was a breakdown among Cabinet members and those responsible for conveying the decision regarding the compensation to highway concessionaires.