Heavy vehicles may soon be banned from highways on public holidays

The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) will propose a ban on heavy vehicles from using the highways during certain public holidays in a bid to prevent road accidents.

LLM director-general Datuk Ismail Md Salleh, in a statement here today, said he believed with the cooperation from the Road Transport Department (RTD), the ban could be enforced under Section 70 of the Road Transport Act 1987.

He said this in response to the accident which occurred at Km256.1 of the PLUS expressway near the Menora Tunnel, which claimed two lives and caused injuries to three others, on Oct 4.

Ismail said the LLM and PLUS Berhad had always implemented suitable intervention from time to time to improve the safety level for highway users.

Besides, he said the LLM was also in the midst of studying the possibility of creating a new route for the Ipoh-Kuala Kangsar section, which would become an alternative to the existing roads.

On Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir's suggestion to have special lanes for heavy vehicles, Ismail said a comprehensive study should be carried out as the proposed expansion of the highway would involve some hilly areas and hence, would be very costly.