KUALA LUMPUR – The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Plus Bhd (PLUS) have activated two smartlane routes on the North-South Expressway as a measure to address congestion, following the movement of vehicles back to the Klang Valley after the public holiday in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director Datuk Seri Mat Kasim Karim, said that the two routes, northbound, involved the Port Dickson interchange at KM259 to the Seremban interchange (KM263), and the Senai interchange (KM19) to the Kulai interchange (KM27).
“The high volumes of vehicles from the south, north, and east towards the capital city have caused congestion in some places, such as the hilly areas, and the convergence of three to two lanes.
“Officers are at hotspot locations on highways, and federal and state roads, as well as city roads where there is congestion to the capital. Personnel and drone units have been systematically arranged to ensure smooth and controlled traffic flow,” he said in a statement today.
The smartlanes aim to optimise the use of all lanes, including opening the leftmost space as a temporary lane, to increase lane capacity and help smooth traffic flow.
Mat Kasim said that the public can channel information related to accidents or unusual congestion to the Bukit Aman traffic control room at 03-2266 3356, which operates 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the department, in a Facebook post, announced a total of 1,381 accidents, involving 2,072 vehicles of various types, on the fourth day of nationwide operations codenamed Op Selamat 20 yesterday.
Op Selamat 20 is being implemented for seven days, starting April 20.
It said that cars recorded the highest number of accidents at 1,528 cases, or 73.7% of the total cases recorded yesterday.
“It was followed by motorcycles (256), four-wheel drive vehicles (122), multi-purpose vehicles (102 cases), vans (43), lorries (13), buses (five), and three accidents involving taxis,” read the statement.
JSPT also advised road users to be vigilant while driving and avoid being involved in accidents. – Bernama, April 24, 2023
