Vehicles in Malaysia now outnumber people. Traffic congestion issue answered?

A road safety expert might have found the reason for the heavy congestion issue that has plagued Malaysians since the country moved into endemicity in April. The expert revealed that the number of vehicles in the country has overtaken the human population, proving that more people are relying on cars and more are driving now. 

Professor Dr Kulanthayan K.C. Mani from Universiti Putra Malaysia told the New Straits Times (NST) that last year there were 33.3 million registered vehicles nationwide versus the human population which stands at 32.6 million.

Out of the 33.3 million registered vehicles, up to 47.3 percent were cars, 46.6 percent were motorcycles and 4.7 percent were goods vehicles. Buses, taxis, self-drive car rentals and others make up the rest.

Dr Kulanthayan believes that the booming vehicle registration over the past few years until 2021 led him to believe that this was the prime contributor to the congestion.

For more context, the country’s human population was recorded at 32.5 million in 2019. This number increased between 300,000 to 400,000 annually, bringing the number to 32.6 million in 2021.

The vehicle population in 2019 was 31.2 million, this number increased by one million every year, so by 2021 the number registered at 33.3 million.

Hence, for the first time ever, the vehicle population outpaced the human population when all these years, it has always been reversed.

He further points out that if the trend continues, Malaysians are going to face even more horrendous traffic jams.

Also read: JPJ takes action to ease congestion; Enforces heavy vehicle ban on roads during peak hours

According to NST, Dr Kulanthayan is currently waiting for the weeklong school holiday to end to observe whether the traffic congestion would sizzle down.

If the congestion does not sizzle down after the festive and school holidays, then it is a clear-cut issue of the overwhelming number of registered vehicles in the country.

What’s the cause of the rise?

Dr Kulanthayan attributed the soaring number of vehicles to multiple reasons. One of which is the government’s introduction of the automotive sales and services tax exemption in June 2020 as a means to help the automotive industry recover from the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown.

He said that though the price differences are not much, it is still an irresistible offer for many who took the opportunity to upgrade to new cars.

The tax exemption also ultimately caused peer pressure amongst buyers as friends and family persuaded them to take advantage of the cheaper car price.

Another reason he cited was that money-strapped families may also have an extra family member going out to work to help sustain their household. It doesn’t help that Malaysia, like the rest of the world, is facing price inflation on necessities.

Being forced to work adds on to the extra people making travels to get to their workplace, therefore, contributing to the use of more vehicles.

Also, Dr Kulanthayan pointed out that many school van and bus transporters who found new avenues of work during the pandemic decided to stay with their new jobs instead of going back to ferrying children.

This meant that parents will have to send their children to school themselves further contributing to the number of vehicles on the road.

And most importantly, there is also the group of road users who are still afraid of exposing themselves to Covid-19. Hence, they have decided to purchase their own vehicles instead of taking public transportation.

What can we do to resolve traffic woes?

To discourage the purchase of more vehicles, Dr Kulanthayan suggests that the government refrain from building more highways or adding more lanes to existing roads. This would not solve traffic congestion but will only encourage more vehicles on the road.

He suggests that the funds be channelled towards public transportation systems instead. The investment shouldn’t just focus on rail-based public transportation but also on road-based transportation too.

Also read: KTMB and Transport Minister under fire for claiming congestion is caused by Malaysian's refusal to use public transport

One of the biggest complaints about public transportation was the poor first and last-mile connectivity. Dr Kulanthayan suggests that more should be done for road-based transportation to solve the connectivity issue.

He also suggests that industries should also pitch in with their own incentives rather than just waiting for the next government effort. Companies can do more like providing transport for employees or giving travel pass subsidies or incentives for taking the bus and rail services.

Other than that, companies can also offer shuttles to train stations to help solve the last mile connectivity issue.

Conclusion

With vehicles now outnumbering the human population in Malaysia, the government and various other industries should start taking precautions or the heavy congestion will only get worst.

Also read: Malaysians waste RM 10–20 billion annually on traffic congestion