GEORGE TOWN, June 10 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the issue of road safety along the East-West Highway will be raised in the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
He said this follows the recent fatal bus crash that claimed 15 lives near Tasik Banding in Perak.
“I will raise this matter in a Cabinet meeting tomorrow morning so we can look into what immediate steps that can be taken to improve, especially on the safety of the East-West Highway,” he told reporters here today.
Loke said the highway is under the Works Ministry’s jurisdiction, but road safety is a shared responsibility.
“However, when it comes to road safety, it is a serious matter so we need to work together with other ministries,” he said.
He said discussions would not be limited to road barriers alone.
“We won’t look into only the road barriers but also the road conditions, the lack of street lights at night,” he said.
He added that his ministry will assist in installing solar lamps along the highway to improve visibility.
Loke will also visit the accident site on Thursday with relevant authorities.
“We really need to take immediate and drastic measures by prioritising road safety issues, especially the East-West Highway,” he said.
On the investigation into the crash, Loke said both police and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) are involved.
“The police will look into the incident in detail in terms of any criminal elements while JPJ will look into the technical part and conduct a safety audit on the bus company,” he said.
The Land Public Transport Agency has also issued a show cause letter to the company, requesting data including the vehicle’s GPS record.
“We need their GPS record as we want to know if the vehicle was speeding during that period and secondly, we will conduct an audit on the company on whether they had complied with safety measures,” Loke said.
He said the authorities will also examine the driver’s background.
“I do not want to jump to conclusions, we have to be fair so any investigations must be done according to facts,” he added.
He urged the public to allow the authorities to complete their investigations first.
Transport minister wants bus firm audit, study on highway fixes after Gerik crash that killed 15 UPSI students
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