People spend 44 hours a month on the road due to traffic jams

SHAH ALAM - People working in the Klang Valley spend at least 44 hours a month in their vehicles due to being stuck in traffic jams.

This, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Faculty of Applied Sciences senior lecturer Dr Ismaniza Ismail said was because employees had no choice.

Speaking to Malay daily Harian Metro, Ismaniza said motorists have to spent at least one or two hours in their vehicles to commute to and from work daily.

She said not only that it is time consuming, traffic jams could also affect the physical, emotional and mental well-being of those who had to go through it on a daily basis.

She added that it could also affect the cost of productivity.

"Imagine how much time is being wasted every day due to the traffic. Imagine, every morning, an employee gets up early to go to work and comes home early to avoid traffic jams.

"Even though they work full eight hours daily, they had lost an hour or two due to travelling,” she told Harian Metro.

The worsening traffic congestion has recently become a hot topic, with many calling for the government to resolve the matter immediately.

In Sinar Daily's talk show Wacana English Edition entitled "Rethinking Malaysia's Transport Systems" which will be aired tomorrow (Thursday), issues surrounding the transportation systems will be discussed.

Three panellists namely former transport minister Anthony Loke, expert and lecturer in Transport Studies Professor Dr Datuk Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sabdullah and transportation system expert Associate Professor Dr Masria Mustafa will address road congestion and e-hailing issues, as well as solutions and proposals to overcome the matter.

The discussion will also focus on claims of unreliable public transport, recent reports on light rail transit (LRT) commuter breakdowns, traffic operations and control and sustainability issues, among others.

The talkshow will be broadcasted live at 8.30pm tomorrow on all Sinar Daily and Sinar Harian digital platforms.