By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 11: The issue of road damage at Jalan Kwong Thiong near Lotak Villas in Batu Kawah is not merely a matter of ground-level enforcement such as issuing compounds or stop-work orders, but directly involves overloaded lorries, which is an issue under the licensing and regulatory jurisdiction of the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB).
Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Tan Kai made the statement in response to recent remarks by CVLB Sarawak chairman Michael Kong, who downplayed the role of vehicle overloading in the issue, instead attributing the damage to the use of residential roads that are not designed for heavy machinery.
Calling Kong’s remarks “inaccurate and irresponsible”, Tan said it was misleading to suggest that the road damage was unrelated to overloading. He pointed to consistent findings from ground inspections and recurring incidents across residential areas that implicate overloaded lorries, especially those involved in earthworks.
“Such road deterioration is almost always the result of heavy and overloaded lorries, particularly those involving earthworks. The residential roads are not designed for such weight and frequency of use,” he said in a statement today.
This follows Kong’s remarks on Thursday (July 10), in which he asserted that restricting heavy vehicle licensing would not directly resolve the issue. Instead, he urged local councils like MPP to install weight limit signage on residential roads to prevent heavy vehicle access, which would then empower CVLB and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to take enforcement action, including suspending or denying licence renewals for violators.
While MPP has issued compounds to the parties involved, Tan argued that enforcement actions alone have proven insufficient to address the root of the problem.
“The reality remains that overloaded lorries continue to use and damage these roads even after action is taken. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation, unless the flow of over-capacity vehicles is addressed at the licensing level. The damage will persist not just in Padawan, but throughout Sarawak,” he said.
Tan stressed that the responsibility for issuing commercial vehicle permits and monitoring their compliance lies with CVLB.
“CVLB must establish stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure that vehicles operating under its licenses comply with approved weight limits and designated routes. The current reliance on complaints or alerts from local councils like MPP for enforcement reflects a lack of proactive control by the licensing body,” he said.
He urged CVLB Sarawak to review its standard operating procedures for issuing heavy lorry licences, especially near residential areas, to reassess permissible weight limits, implement stronger enforcement mechanisms to prevent overloading, and take firm action against violators.
MPP, meanwhile, has taken the step of denying road access to a developer found operating without a valid road permit and ordered the reinstatement and repair of the damaged road at its own cost.
“MPP is committed to safeguarding public infrastructure and residents’ safety. But without active cooperation and accountability of licensing authorities, our efforts alone are insufficient to resolve this recurring problem, ” Tan emphasised. — DayakDaily
