Make our highways safe and beautiful

I HAVE noticed that many streetlights along the expressways and even near toll booths have been out for months, maybe even years.

Don’t the companies operating these roads have some way of monitoring streetlights to ensure that they are functioning?

Since highway users pay toll, they expect streetlights and other facilities to be functioning so that they can have a safe journey. Highway patrols should therefore take note of defective streetlights and other problems on the roadway, including potholes and obstructions, and get them rectified immediately.

As a road user, I have filed many complaints to PLUS Expressways about these problems, but I have yet to receive any response from them.

I have also noticed that many traffic light junctions do not have a telephone number to call if/when the lights are not working properly.

When the traffic lights break down, more often than not motorists would drive aggressively to beat each other to cross the junction, creating a dangerous situation for timid drivers. The telephone number of the authority to call must therefore be displayed prominently at all traffic light junctions.

Besides the safety aspects, the appearance of the nation’s highways must also be taken into consideration by the companies and authority concerned. Taking the Federal Highway as an example, its traffic median could do with a good touch-up, better still a complete makeover, to beautify it after years of exposure to the elements and damage by road users.

The Federal Highway is one of the main roads into Kuala Lumpur, so its appearance should project the image of a modern city road.

Past repairs that were not properly done have also left a patchwork of “scars” on the Federal Highway.

Budget 2024 has allocated funds for the upkeep and maintenance of federal roads and bridges. The authority concerned must complement the aspirations of the government to make travelling safer and enjoyable by making full and judicious use of this allocation.

CIVIC MINDEDNESS

Shah Alam