Goodbye, Batu Tiga Toll! You Will Not Be Missed
Klang folks are happy to see you go.
By Sheryll Paul — 28 Oct 2017, 01:22 PM
The notorious Batu Tiga toll, affecting drivers heading in and out of Klang, will soon be abolished
It was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during the tabling of Budget 2018 yesterday.
More on Budget 2018 here:
The news came as a pleasant surprise to highway users who frequent the Federal Highway.
The toll will officially shut down beginning 1 January 2018
Other tolls also announced to be shut down include Sungai Rasau in Shah Alam, Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah and the Eastern Dispersal Link in Johor.
The Batu Tiga toll is known by its drivers to be a cause for some of the worst traffic jams
"Passing through Batu Tiga toll was the worst. Why? Because you know how horrendous the jam will be from Subang onwards. Cars are scattered everywhere after exiting the toll to Subang. Bottleneck like crazy just to fit that 3 lanes. Everyone will just cut your queue or try to fit any given space. 4-wheel drivers thinking they driving Kancil," Colin Gan, a Program Coordinator at NEXT Academy said.
Many netizens are in high hopes that the abolishment of the tolls will get them through their journeys faster.
The abolishment also means drivers in Klang now don't have to fork out as much money while on the road
Though the Batu Tiga toll fares were relatively cheap, with the present toll rate at RM1.10, netizens still complained that the fares ate a lot out of their savings.
"Everyday, you spend RM1.10. Every week RM5.50. Monthly around RM140 just for Batu Tiga toll," Colin said.
Eyu Shin Dhee, a Community Relations Manager at REV Asia, added her own input saying, "A majority of the people I know work outside of Klang. On weekends, most of us would hang out in PJ or KL. Just imagine lah, every time we exit Klang, the toll is there dividing us from the rest of Selangor. It's like we need to pay entrance/exit fee just to go out and in of Klang. We have to pay although we're so near yet (so far) to Subang!"
Shin Dhee's father has been paying for both the Batu Tiga and Sungai Rasau tolls for about 25 years now.
However, the fear is real that this could also mean more congestion
Many think that more drivers will now flock to the Federal Highway instead of other roads due to the savings they can now make. This could lead to even worse traffic on the already clogged highway.
"I foresee Federal highway will be more jammed after this. It will benefit the ones who leave for work extremely early or with flexible working hours," Shin Dhee said.