PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s road lighting system could be improved using smart energy-saving solutions, but experts warn that any reduction must be carefully engineered to avoid compromising road safety.
Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua of Universiti Putra Malaysia said energy-saving measures such as dimming, adaptive lighting or LED transitions can be implemented without violating the minimum safety requirements set under the MS 825 lighting classes.
“This has to be done with careful engineering, not just by turning a switch off,” he said, noting that MS 825 establishes minimum luminance and illuminance values according to traffic flow, speed and complexity.
Prof Law highlighted adaptive lighting as a key technology, allowing for dynamic class adjustments during low-traffic periods, such as between 3am and 5am, when roads can be safely dimmed to lower specifications while remaining compliant.
However, he warned that randomly switching off every other streetlight is dangerous, creating a zebra-stripe effect of bright and dark areas that undermine homogeneity and minimum safety levels stipulated in MS 825.
Prof Law added that reducing operating hours to save costs could increase accident risks, especially at dawn and dusk when visibility is poor, with motorcyclists or pedestrians wearing dark clothing being most vulnerable.
“MS 825 exists to protect visual performance, meaning road users must be able to see hazards in time to stop, and operating hour reductions objectively increase the odds of a crash,” he said.
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) chairman Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon said maintaining road lighting is crucial for both visibility and the sense of security it provides to pedestrians.
“The present timing has been modelled along a natural dusk-to-dawn period and remains effective as long as the lights are working, but local councils struggle with high electricity costs and ageing infrastructure, including flickering lights,” he said.
Prof Wong noted that flickering lights usually indicate old ballasts or buried cable faults, which are expensive to repair, and stressed that preventive maintenance and proper installation are key to sustaining safety standards.
“The best solution is to convert to LED lighting, which cuts energy costs and allows funds to be redirected for road maintenance, but it requires substantial upfront investment,” he said.
He also highlighted that Malaysia has yet to achieve sufficient lighting levels across all federal, state and municipal roads, particularly in rural and residential areas, where lighting is often partial or completely absent, and many installations fail to comply with MS 825.
Malaysian Public Transport Users Association president Ajit Johl said local councils’ funds would be stretched thin when maintaining streetlights.
“Alternatively, they could use solar street lighting, but there is the initial cost to replace existing lights. Solar tech is rapidly changing and would need constant upgrading, which may lead to higher cost.
“The number of streetlights can definitely improve, as the country expands and grows, we will be needing more lighting,” Ajit added.
Meanwhile, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi acknowledged that some stretches of federal roads, such as the Pasir Gudang Highway in Johor, remain unlit due to resource constraints.
“Let’s put it this way, we would want to have every inch of roads lighted up if we can. However, we are still constrained by resources.
“That is why, for now, our policy is to light up areas which are accident-prone, at the junctions and bridges,” he said when met at the Malaysia-Korea Intelligent Transport System Roadshow recently.
He added that while the ministry maintains its own data on accident hotspots, it collaborates with agencies like the police to ensure critical areas are lighted.
On streetlights that are installed but non-functional, Nanta said vandalism, wear and tear, and cable theft are major issues.
“Vandalism, such as cable thefts, is quite rampant. That is why we are trying to replace the streetlights with LED lights or solar-powered ones.
“Even then, there are still instances where the lamp posts were damaged due to theft,” he said.
He urged the public to be more mindful of public facilities, particularly those designed to ensure the safety of road users.
