By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Aug 14: Not every stretch of road can be lit up, with the government having to prioritise street lighting at accident-prone areas and high-risk intersections, says Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He said the approach was necessary given Malaysia’s vast road network, with federal roads alone spanning about 20,000 kilometres.
“As for street lighting, the reality is that we cannot afford to light up every kilometre of road. That is why we focus on locations where lighting is most needed, particularly accident-prone locations and road intersections.
“These areas can be quite dangerous if there is no lighting. For remote locations where connecting to the electricity grid may not be feasible, we are increasingly using standalone solar-powered systems and LED lights,” he told reporters after officiating the Completion Ceremony of the Road Accident Management System (RAMS) Expansion Course and Road Accident Data Reporting According to PDRM K27 Standards here today.
He said Malaysia has several categories of roads, including federal roads, highways, State roads, rural roads, and roads managed by local authorities.
Nanta, who is also the Kapit MP, said not all roads fall under his ministry’s jurisdiction, as state governments manage rural roads once they are completed and handed over.
Funding for their maintenance, he added, was provided through the Malaysian Road Information System (MARRIS), with allocations channelled annually through the federal government budget.
He said local authorities, such as the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) and the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU), also managed roads within their respective jurisdictions.
For remote areas where grid connection is not feasible, the government is turning to standalone solar-powered LED systems, with Nanta saying the brighter lights offer a practical alternative.
Therefore, Nanta said his ministry would continue to seek additional allocations in its annual budget to expand the installation of solar-powered LED street lights to allow lighting resources to be directed to locations where they could have the greatest impact on road safety. — DayakDaily
