SEPANG: The speed limit for both federal and state roads will be reduced by 10kph from today until Jan 27 while a road ban will also be enforced on goods-carrying vehicles on some days.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said this reduction would bring down the speed limit for federal roads to 80kph and state roads to 70kph in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration that was expected to see a high traffic volume.
“There will be changes to the current (speed limit) signboards to reflect the speed reduction on federal and state roads during this period,” he told reporters after launching the road safety campaign for Chinese New Year together with Transport Minister Anthony Loke at the Dengkil Northbound rest stop here yesterday.
This initiative, said Nanta, was among the precautionary measures taken to increase safety and reduce the risk of road accidents, especially during festive seasons.
“The Works Ministry will be working closely with the Transport Ministry and the police to continuously monitor traffic conditions,” he added.
He added the collaborative efforts between highway concessionaires, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the police included data sharing and detailed statistics to reduce accident rates involving heavy vehicles and motorcycles.
“This is in line with the Malaysian Road Safety Plan 2022-2030 to reduce road accident-related deaths by as much as 50% by 2030,” he said.
The ministry, said Nanta, had also conducted repairs on 53 accident-prone locations along federal roads throughout last year at a cost of RM17.2mil.
Loke said there would also be a road ban for goods-carrying vehicles on Jan 20, 21, 24 and 25 to reduce traffic congestion.
“This ban takes into account the significant increase in traffic, especially for private vehicles returning to hometowns.
“The national speed limit reduction order will also be enforced along with this road ban,” he said.
Loke said as many as 2,000 JPJ personnel would be on duty for the coming celebration.
“Among the initiatives taken (by JPJ) are discreetly riding express buses to ensure these operators are following the law. It is a preventive measure compared to issuing compounds and to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy.
“We want to educate, advocate and prevent any mishap from happening,” he added.
Other measures taken by JPJ, Loke said, were surveillance activities at 14 Enforcement Based Stations along highways as well as patrols on federal roads.
He said JPJ had carried out inspections on buses at 77 depots and 28 bus terminals between Jan 14 and yesterday.