Loke said his view was that Kuala Lumpur’s public transport network needed to be further bolstered before Putrajaya could roll out the congestion charges.

“Imposing congestion charges without presenting alternative modes of public transport to the rakyat would only burden them and affect them socioeconomically,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

In his winding-up speech on the royal address, the minister said the Cabinet committee on road safety and traffic congestion had discussed congestion charges, which have been introduced in developed nations.

He said these other countries only introduced the charges after they had in place a sustainable and wide network of public transportation.

In December 2023, natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad was reported to have said that Putrajaya needed to consider imposing congestion charges but only after public transport had reached a certain stage to make the city more sustainable.

Discussions have been held on imposing congestion charges after the completion of the MRT3 line.

Also known as an environmental fee, the charges would be imposed on drivers entering certain areas in the city during peak hours based on their number plates, with the goal of reducing traffic congestion in KL.

Separately, Loke said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has received an official application from Kedah on Sept 9 to build an aerodrome for the Kedah Aerotropolis project in Kulim.

A memorandum would be brought to the Cabinet soon, he added.