KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — George Town in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Baru have been identified as the first cities for the proposed congestion charge rollout, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa.The Star reported that Dr Zaliha told the Dewan Rakyat the proposal is still under review by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation.She said the study will examine various aspects, including the implementation mechanism, the potential to reduce traffic volume, and projected increases in public transport usage if the charges are introduced.“The study is expected to be completed by this year,” she was quoted saying during Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.Dr Zaliha said preliminary findings suggest the congestion charge could reduce traffic in Kuala Lumpur by up to 20%.“The charge cannot be too low but should discourage motorists from using certain roads. At the same time, it cannot be too high to avoid burdening consumers,” she explained.She added that the government is considering methods implemented in other countries, such as New York’s electronic licence plate reader system, Singapore’s electronic road pricing mechanism, and London’s congestion charge zones.“In New York, charges are automatically imposed once a licence plate is detected, while Singapore implements zone- and time-based pricing. In London, vehicles are charged for entering designated congestion zones during peak hours,” she reportedly said.Dr Zaliha also highlighted road space rationing practices in Jakarta and Beijing, where vehicle access is restricted based on odd or even licence plate numbers depending on the day.Citing data, she noted that about 1.5 million vehicles enter and exit Kuala Lumpur daily, while public transport ridership in the city remains at only 25% capacity.“I agree with the Transport Minister’s stance that it is not appropriate to impose a congestion charge without a complete and integrated public transport system,” she said.Transport Minister Anthony Loke previously told the Dewan Rakyat on February 19 that the proposed congestion charge would only be introduced once improvements to the public transportation system have been made.