KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 94 road-safety improvement projects across Peninsular Malaysia will be implemented this year and are expected to be completed by October, says Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (pic).
The Works Minister said the projects will be under the Blackspot Programme and the Signalised Pedestrian Crossing Programme (LPKSI).
“The projects comprise 77 Blackspot Programme locations and 17 LPKSI locations involving a total allocation of RM33.05mil.
“It will be carried out in 11 states and 36 districts,” he told reporters after attending the Project Handover and Letter of Acceptance (SST) ceremony for the Madani Cakna Programme: Road Safety Infrastructure Upgrading Implementation 2026 yesterday.
At the project handover ceremony, he presented the SST to 32 contractors appointed for Blackspot Phase Two, while acknowledging contractors who completed Phase One and LPKSI works on time and to specification.
“The Blackspot initiative uses crash data from the Road Accident Management System (RAMS) to target high-risk locations for remedial works.
“Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 342 blackspot sites were treated with an allocation of RM118.5mil.
“To bolster pedestrian safety, the ministry has continued the LPKSI programme, introduced in 2018. Up to 2025, the ministry reported 154 locations fitted with signalised pedestrian crossings at a cost of RM39.79mil,” he said.
As of July 20, the states with the highest number of blackspots are Kelantan with 16 locations, followed by Kedah (14), Johor and Negri Sembilan (10), Perak (8), Selangor (7), Penang (6), Melaka and Terengganu (2), with Pahang (1) and Perlis (1) with the fewest.
“The criteria for a blackspot location include three types of similar accidents or five various accidents in the span of three years in the 50m radius or 100m of road.
“Under the blackspot programmes, the roads are equipped with a warning sign, safety convex mirror, paved road surfaces and painted road lines as well as installation of traffic and streetlights,” he added.
For the LPKSI, he said the scope of work involves construction of level crossings, installation of pedestrian traffic lights and zebra crossings.
Additionally, Nanta Linggi said flood-related road damage cannot be treated as a one-size-fits-all issue, as the causes and scope often differ from one location to another.
He said some flood incidents happen outside the road reserve, or involve other local authorities and agencies, requiring close coordination to resolve the problem effectively.
“If flooding is considered a disaster, then it is a blackspot. But the scope is broad,” he said, adding that in some cases, nearby rivers may also contribute to road damage.
“That is why we have to look at each location at a time and identify the specific factors that are causing the floods,” he said.
