KUALA LUMPUR – Users of the newly opened Sg Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) are reminded not to stop at the road shoulder except for emergencies.
Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) group chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah said Prolintas through its subsidiary Projek Lintasan Sg Besi-Ulu Klang Sdn Bhd is aware that some highway users are overly excited and hence stop on the emergency lane to take snapshots of the scenic view at several locations of the SUKE Highway.
“Safety aspects have always been the priority of Prolintas, we are very pleased with the response from users. However, we hope everyone can take highway safety seriously to avoid any unwanted incidents,” he said in a statement here today.
He said several hotspots along the highway alignment have been identified by SUKE Highway operations division to be points of interest for users. Safety cones have been placed at those particular locations to prevent users from stopping without an emergency reason.
According to him, the auxiliary police unit of Prolintas or “Peronda SUKE” is located at the hotspots to make patrolling rounds more often and duty for 24 hours.
Azlan said ‘no stopping unless emergency’ signage will be installed in the identified areas as soon as possible and the same message will be displayed on the variable-message sign along the expressway to alert users.
“The operations division of SUKE Highway will ensure an optimal level of highway maintenance and continue to work with the local authorities, Road Transport Department and police to ensure smooth traffic flow.
“Every kilometre along the alignment of the SUKE Highway is equipped with 40 units of CCTV cameras in both directions. The operations division constantly monitors traffic movements and sends signals to Peronda SUKE to go to the location in case of emergencies or if anomalies are detected,” he said.
He said a rest and service area will be built near the Tasik Tambahan Interchange in the future for highway users as a stop to comfortably and safely enjoy the panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur.
The highway recorded its first accident yesterday, involving a motorcyclist and a car whose driver had stopped in the emergency lane to snap pictures of the scenic surroundings.
Meanwhile, Azlan said nearly 100,000 vehicles have been recorded passing through the SUKE Highway Phase 1 in the first 24 hours after being opened to motorists beginning at noon of September 16 to 17.
Highway users started forming a queue as early as 11.30am last Friday at every entrance of SUKE, within the 16.6km alignment, starting from the Cheras-Kajang Interchange to the Bukit Antarabangsa Interchange.
The launch of SUKE Highway phase 1 was announced by Senior Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof with a one-month toll-free ride which involves two toll plazas namely the Bukit Teratai Toll Plaza and the Ampang Toll Plaza as well as 11 interchanges. – Bernama, September 19, 2022
