PUTRAJAYA: An Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system may soon be used to solve traffic congestion during roadblocks, says Anthony Loke.
The Transport Minister has reminded the Road Transport Department (JPJ) that roadblocks need a new paradigm and approach this year.
“Previously, physical roadblocks on highways often caused long queues and congestion because multiple lanes would be reduced to just one or two, creating traffic spillover and long waiting times,” he said during a press conference after his New Year message event yesterday.
“Now, the approach must shift towards data integration and ANPR for vehicles.
“Highway operators are also starting to implement ANPR on their roads. For example, PLUS is about to launch its system to detect vehicle numbers as they enter the highways,” he said.
“Instead of reinventing the wheel or creating a separate system, we can integrate JPJ’s system with PLUS’ ANPR infrastructure.
“With today’s technology, we can integrate the ANPR system operated by PLUS with JPJ’s MySikap system.”
MySikap is the official online portal of JPJ that allows users to handle vehicle and driver licensing tasks via phone or computer without having to physically wait in line at a JPJ branch.
“Currently, PLUS uses ANPR primarily for toll collection. By integrating with JPJ, the system can serve multiple purposes. Not just for toll collection, but also for traffic enforcement,” added Loke.
“The integration would not only streamline toll collection but also allow authorities to automatically verify road tax and insurance status, and identify stolen or unregistered vehicles.”
He added that this approach also aligns with a whole-of-government strategy that promotes cross-ministerial cooperation and breaks down operational silos to improve public service efficiency.
On a suggestion to limit the number of motorcyclists on highways to reduce fatal accidents, Loke said this falls under the purview of the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).
However, the minister said he understood that the objective of the suggestion is to reduce accidents and illegal racing on highways.
