Gerik: Recommendations for improving safety features on the East-West Highway (JRTB), which connects Gerik in Perak and Jeli in Kelantan, include enhancing lighting, increasing warning signs, adding climbing lanes, and installing road dividers. Mohd Amir Faizal, 47, a volunteer with the Sungai Petani Response Team, stated that comprehensive and immediate action was needed to upgrade the road, including continuous maintenance, to ensure road user safety.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, based on the current condition of the road, it is appropriate for the authorities to upgrade the route due to several factors, including safety. Mohd Amir emphasized the necessity for re-upgrading the road's condition, noting that even patched roads must meet specific standards to prevent recurring potholes. The road's soft or subsiding ground structures must be considered to ensure the durability of repairs.
Mohd Amir, who has been volunteering to assist road users for three years, mentioned that the route has many hilly areas and dense forests with sharp bends, steep slopes, and fog, requiring more safety features or warning signs for users. He highlighted the importance of road lighting at strategic points like sharp bends and intersections and suggested installing road dividers at steep slopes and dangerous bends to prevent vehicles from veering off.
Furthermore, Mohd Amir proposed the addition of climbing lanes to facilitate the ascent of heavy vehicles and prevent risky overtaking maneuvers. He also pointed out the need for improved information signs, such as those indicating telephone network coverage. The absence of kilometer markers complicates locating accidents, and limited communication network coverage poses challenges during emergencies.
He expressed concern about the absence of warnings against feeding wild animals, which leads to dangerous behavior by road users. Mohd Amir explained that users might stop to feed wildlife or take pictures, endangering themselves and others. He stressed that while road infrastructure improvements are necessary, road users must also drive responsibly on the challenging JRTB route, which is popular among those who enjoy speed.
Yesterday, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi announced that the accident location which claimed the lives of 15 Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) students two days ago was among the JRTB sections identified for upgrade works this year, with an allocation of RM55 million. Earlier in June 2023, a RM30 million allocation was approved to rebuild a section of the route, and an additional RM30 million was announced two months later by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In 2024, a total of RM7.2 million was allocated for various repair works on several other sections of the route. Perak Public Works Department (JKR) Director Zamri Mat Kasim noted that the project to install 385 solar streetlights on JRTB, including at the accident site, has been undergoing the tender process for the past two months.