CONGESTION fees for vehicles entering Kuala Lumpur city will only be considered after a comprehensive public transportation system is available, the House was told.

       Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said a traffic congestion fee, also known as an environmental fee, was a trend in mega cities.

       “In London, it is imposed on vehicles entering the city with the exception of electric vehicles or EVs.

       “We will look into matters such as the restructuring of parking fees in the city.

       “However, this will only be done once the public transportation network in the city is fully completed after 2030,” he said in reply to Fahmi Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai).

       Dr Wee said such fees imposed on vehicles entering the city was not just to address traffic congestion but also environmental concerns.

       On the MRT3 line, the minister told Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut) that public engagement on the project would be held in July.

       “The engagement period will be over two months for us to gather public feedback. It will not be a problem if readjustments or changes are to be made,” he said in assuring the MP that the engagement process would not be cosmetic in nature as there were engineering solutions to resolve technical issues on the proposed MRT3 route.

       Yeoh had raised concerns over the proposed route from residents in the Sri Hartamas area.

       Dr Wee earlier disclosed that 39km out of the 51km MRT3 line will run along the perimeter of Kuala Lumpur with 12km in Selangor.

       He said the line would intersect populated areas such as Ampang Jaya, adding that it would also intersect existing MRT1 and 2 lines, including the monorail and KTM Komuter.

       He said the MRT3 project would see 10 new interchange stations built to ensure an efficient transportation network for the Klang Valley.

       “Eighty per cent of the entire route will be elevated while 20% will be underground,” he added.

       Dr Wee said the tender for five main packages of the MRT 3 project would be carried out this year, adding that work under these packages would take between six and eight years with completion expected in phases by 2028.

       He added that entire MRT3 project was expected to be completed and fully operational by 2030.