Speed limiters a must by 2017

Tour of duty: Nadzri helping an enforcement officer put on a helmet during his working visit to the JPJ office in Ipoh.

IPOH: New buses must have speed limiters come January next year.

“As for the older buses, it will be done in stages. Since it involves cost, we will give operators time to fix it but they must do it as soon as possible,” said Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Nadzri Siron.

“We have asked Puspakom to work with us because we want to make sure that new buses have speed limiters.”

Previously, the limiter would only flash a red light if the bus driver was speeding but with the new system, drivers will not be able to exceed the speed limit because the device is fixed to the engine.

“A technical team is working with the manufacturers to fix it to the engine,” he said yesterday after attending a meeting here.

On Thursday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai urged express bus operators to install speed limiters.

This came about after a tour bus with 27 people on board skidded while coming down from Genting High­lands on Wednesday night.

The driver was crushed to death.

On another matter, Nadzri said JPJ, the police and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) would work together to improve the enforcement system.

For now, he said JPJ would be using the mySIKAP system, while the police and SPAD had their own systems. He said an agreement had been made to ensure the current system is improved especially when blacklisting drivers, owners and vehicles.

“This is important because we want competent drivers,” he said.

On action to be taken against traffic offences by operators and commercial vehicle drivers, he said JPJ and the police would implement information sharing in stages until an integrated system for all three agencies was implemented.