Left lane only for heavy vehicles: Transport Ministry enforces stricter highway safety rules, including speed limiters
This is one of five new measures to be enforced by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) as part of stricter regulations for commercial vehicles, particularly lorries and buses, as reported by Berita Harian (BH) today.
Other improvements include the mandatory installation of speed limiters, global positioning system (GPS) devices, high-speed weigh-in-motion (HS-WIM) sensors at 11 highway locations, and an increase in automated enforcement system (AES) cameras.
Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Transport, stated that the regulation prohibiting buses and lorries from using the rightmost lane had already been gazetted in 2015 but has yet to be enforced.
'Under this regulation, lorries and buses must stay in the left lane and cannot travel at high speeds. If they need to overtake, they are allowed to move into the second lane but must return to the left lane afterward,' he was quoted as saying by the Malay daily.
'However, they are strictly prohibited from using the third lane at any time. We will propose this matter again to the minister for it to be enforced on highways for heavy vehicles,' he told BH in an interview.
He further explained that all newly manufactured lorries are already equipped with speed limiters, but for older vehicles, the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) allows owners to install the devices themselves.
He stated that the device would limit the speed of heavy vehicles to 80 to 90 kilometres per hour (km/h).
Jana Santhiran also mentioned that the GPS installation regulation will take effect this month, enabling APAD to take direct action based on real-time monitoring through the system.
'For both speed limiters and GPS, inspections will be conducted every six months at the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom) to ensure compliance with these regulations,' he said.
He added that violations of these regulations could lead to immediate action, including the suspension or revocation of permits for lorry and bus companies.
Meanwhile, the installation of HS-WIM sensors at 11 highway locations is expected to be fully completed in the first quarter of next year to detect overloaded vehicles, which pose risks to road users.
Additionally, the ministry is collaborating with highway operators, who have systems capable of detecting lorry loads at toll plazas. This technology will be integrated with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to enable automatic issuance of summonses.
MOT is also seeking funding from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to increase the number of AES cameras nationwide.
Jana Santhiran told BH that these improvements stem from the establishment of a special task force in early January to comprehensively address issues related to heavy vehicles.
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