Motorists want AES cameras installed on Penang Bridge

Boustead says Miros studies show a decay rate in accident-prone areas where AES is installed, demonstrating a drop in fatal accidents and lower summons volumes.

GEORGE TOWN: The proposal by the government to have Automated Enforcement System (AES) cameras on the Penang Bridge to reduce accidents has drawn overwhelming support from the public.

Some respondents said it was a better idea to have speed cameras than to raise the railings on the bridge to prevent cars from falling into the sea during accidents.

Engineer Kesavan Nair, 37, who travels frequently between Bakar Arang in Sungai Petani and the Penang island, said it was common to see cars speeding at 100kph although the speed limit on the bridge was only 80kph.

“Even when I take the bridge at 11pm, there are still cars going full speed. It’s high time to enforce AES as it could prevent speeding along the bridge,” he said yesterday.

Marketing and communications executive Logeiswary Thevadass, who stays in Butterworth but works in George Town, said AES could deter motorists from speeding.

“The speeding does not happen during peak hours as there is heavy traffic. It usually occurs at around midnight when there are fewer cars. They are not only putting their lives at risk but innocent lives too,” she said.

Senior technician Mohd Khairul Anuar said most motorists do not observe the speed limit on the bridge at around midnight.

“Some drivers go very fast. It can be quite scary watching them zoom past,” he said.

After the death of a college student whose car plunged from the Penang bridge after being hit by a speeding car, the Transport Ministry and highway concessionaire PLUS are in talks to install speed cameras along the bridge and on other highways nationwide.

PLUS had previously said it would submit a proposal to the authorities to install speed cameras on all six expressways under its jurisdiction, including the Penang bridge. At present, only CCTVs are installed on the bridge.

Penang Consumers Protection Association president Datuk Koris Setan welcomed the AES proposal, which he said was more effective than raising the guardrail parapet.