scrapped and made toll-free

BUTTERWORTH:

Several residents’ associations, representing some 300,000 people, yesterday objected to the toll collection at the Sungai Nyior plaza here.

Claiming that their elected representatives had failed to highlight their objections effectively, the residents have formed an action committee to handle the issue themselves. The anti-Sungai Nyior Toll joint committee includes the residents’ association from Taman Chai Leng, Southern Kedah Chinese Chamber of Commerce and several other residents’ associations from southern Kedah and Penang. They held a press conference here yesterday to highlight their objections to the toll collection, which is expected to start on Sept 1. Among those present were Taman Chai Leng Residents Association chairman Ch’ng Kee Choon, Southern Kedah Chinese Chamber of Commerce adviser Goh Choon Men and representatives from the other residents’ associations.

The Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) recently announced that the toll rate would be between 50 sen and RM2. A spokesman for the action committee, Kho Hai Meng, urged the government to understand the feelings of local residents as the toll would be a burden to them.

"We hope the toll collection will be scrapped and the stretch made toll-free," he said, adding that the committee had started a signature campaign to protest against it. The toll collection was supposed to start earlier this year but was deferred due to protests. Even Seberang Jaya assemblyman Arif Shah Omar had highlighted the issue. He said that the 4km road linking Butterworth and Seberang Jaya was too short to justify toll collection. In May, the state government opened a RM2 million alternative road for motorists who did not want to pay toll.

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