By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Oct 13: The new Sibu-Kapit Road, which is now in its final stage of completion must be well supervised by enforcement agencies to prevent it from getting damaged by overloaded vehicles.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said besides erecting gantries, enforcement agencies such as the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the police must be vigilant to ensure that the new road is not misused by unscrupulous road users.
“These overloaded trucks or heavily loaded vehicles will damaged this (new) road in no time. I have suggested a few methods of preventing these overloaded vehicles from using our roads, namely by putting gantries to prevent these overloaded vehicles from using our roads.
“Enforcement agencies such as JPJ and the police must be on alert on (sic) road users, and throw the book at them when they fail to follow traffic rules.
“Thirdly, we must have civic consciousness to ensure that heavy vehicles don’t use our roads by making sure they aren’t comfortable in the eyes of our people when they do. I call it social policing,” Masing said here today.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari led a motorcycle convoy from Sibu to Kapit recently to see for himself the progress of the partly completed road.
The remaining stretch still under construction is the 1km half-lane stretch between Ng Ngungun in Kanowit and Temalat in Song which is expected to be completed in December.
Not too long ago, former Chief Minister the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem had to erect many gantries and road barriers along the Bakun Road in Bintulu to prevent illegal lorries or “lori hantu” heavily laden with timber logs and oil palm fresh fruit bunches from plying the road and damaging it in the process. — DayakDaily
