RFID system to be extended to southern region early next year

The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology system will be extended to several highway toll plazas in the southern region early next year.

Director-general of the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), Datuk Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan said this is following pilot tests conducted at nine toll plazas in Kedah and Penang on July 22.

"We are at the trial stage in the northern states, we will next try (the RFID system) in Johor and then we will try for all (opened and closed highway system nationwide).

"We have to test again to gauge the effectiveness of the system and to improve it to benefit over 1.7 million highway users," he told reporters at the Works Ministry’s New Norms campaign at the Sungai Buloh Rest and Service area (R&R) near here, today.

The campaign was launched by Deputy Works Minister Datuk Eddin Syazlee Shith, who also spent an hour handing over souvenirs to highway users.

The RFID implementation is an early step towards a Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system in highways to improve the quality of toll payment service in the future by speeding up traffic flow at toll lanes.

RFID has been implemented and tested at 62 open-toll system plazas since Jan 1 this year, including the North-South Expressway (PLUS), Malaysia-Singapore Second Link (LINKEDUA), Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), Cheras-Kajang Expressway (GRANDSAGA), Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) and the Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK).

-- BERNAMA