Traffic appears generally to be quite good as of today, but we’re sure you ran into some legendary tailbacks last week or at least saw a lot of stuff on social media about how bad the jams were. We suppose it’s not unexpected given that Chinese New Year and Ramadan are next to each other this year. And yet… the sheer magnitude of the congestion was enough for many to deem it extraordinary. Public transport has made some significant leaps over the past few years, but Malaysia continues to have a voracious appetite for cars, and according to transport minister Anthony Loke, the government has no immediate plans to introduce any policies to curb car ownership, reports the New Straits Times. “At this stage, there is no specific policy to limit vehicle numbers. Any long-term strategy must balance mobility needs, economic factors and public acceptance. “Malaysia recorded vehicle sales of about 820,000 units last year, making it the largest vehicle market in Southeast Asia despite its comparatively smaller population than Indonesia. This is the reality we must understand. Rising motorisation continues to outpace road capacity improvements,” he said recently, adding that ownership restrictions remain sensitive. Congestion cannot be resolved solely through traffic management interventions, the transport minister said, adding that his ministry is focusing on expanding and optimising public transport services – particularly during high-demand periods – including adding KTM services (ETS included) and leveraging digital systems to improve seat utilisation. “However, the scale of public transport enhancements remains relatively small when compared with overall traffic volumes. Even with tens of thousands of additional rail seats, the number of vehicles entering highways can reach into the millions during peak travel windows,” said Loke. It is of course pertinent to note that although Malaysia buys so many cars every year, they’re not all on the road at the same time. Still, our heavy reliance on private transport means more of us get around in cars than we should, at least from a sustainable perspective. As a family man (with a lot of baby things to carry) who loves cars and writes for a car site, I fully appreciate the convenience of the car. For the places we frequent, it often also works out cheaper to drive (even when we account for parking) than to take public transport. However, I also recognise the importance of doing my part, and will take the train wherever feasible, certainly if I’m on my own. Of course, it helps that I also love trains, and one can’t help feeling a bit smug in an MRT train soaring over kilometre-long gridlocks below. Go on, we’re sure you have a lot to say – what are your solutions to Malaysia’s traffic woes? Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Atome, Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater.