As part of its continuous efforts to enhance safety on its highways, PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) collaborated with the Road Transport Department (RTD) to open up an RTD Enforcement Highway Monitoring Centre (Highway Enforcement Unit) at the old Jelapang Toll Plaza Supervision Building near Ipoh, the first of its kind on the highway.
The opening of the control centre located at KM268 on the North-South Expressway was co-officiated by RTD Director-General, Dato’ Sri Shaharuddin Khalid and PLUS Chief Operating Officer, Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi and witnessed by Director-General of Malaysian Highway Authority, Dato’ Ir. Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan and RTD senior officers.
According to Zakaria, "PLUS continuously explores new approaches and ideas to improve safety on our highways to help our customers enjoy safer and more convenient travel. Apart from focusing on engineering and education aspects through road safety advocacy programmes, we also look at law enforcement aspects by collaborating with enforcement agencies such as the RTD to improve safety on the highways.”
“At the same time, the presence of JPJ enforcement officers on our highway mainline is crucial in addressing issues relating to heavy vehicles such as the use of low-quality rethreaded tyres, overloaded and improperly secured consignment and so on. Based on our data, most of the obstacles found on the highway which consist of tyre fragments, wood, iron scraps or debris and many more originated from heavy vehicles, pose a threat to our customers,” Zakaria added.
Meanwhile, according to Dato’ Sri Shaharuddin, “The initiative that has been carried out by PLUS proves its role as a good ‘Rakan Negara’ in helping RTD to enhance the level of safety and enforcement on the highway. PLUS has provided four offices for the Highway Enforcement Unit at R&R Pagoh in Johor, R&R Dengkil in Selangor, R&R Gunung Semanggol and most recently the Enforcement Highway Monitoring Centre, Ipoh in Perak.”
“PLUS' contribution and various initiatives to ensure the safety of its customers have been globally recognized by winning the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in December 2019 and was recently ranked as the number one top performing closed toll highway in terms of safety and comfort by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). Therefore, I believe that this strategic and smart partnership with PLUS is the key to improving the safety and well-being of the people, especially for highway customers,” added Dato’ Sri Shaharuddin.
During the ceremony, PLUS and RTD also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic collaboration involving operations and enforcement to improve safety on the PLUS highway.
PLUS and RTD and other enforcement agencies had conducted 165 Ops Halangan to tackle issues on obstacles and highway debris since 2017. The joint operations demonstrate the commitment of both parties and other enforcement agencies in resolving the issue and help highway customers enjoy safer journey on the highways.
The move to open-up an RTD Enforcement Highway Monitoring Centre (Highway Enforcement Unit) at a strategic location on the North-South Expressway provides faster access onto the highway to manage traffic incidences and improve safety,” explained Zakaria.
The centre, which started its operations since July 1st this year also regulates all Highway Enforcement Unit (UPLR) activities at 4 major enforcement zones.
Its refurbishment work completed in 2019 and it features a control room, meeting room, RTD personnel workstation, officer room, investigation room, prayer room, restrooms and covered parking spaces.
“The setting up of this RTD Enforcement Highway Monitoring Centre echoes our commitment to provide better highway services for customers as well as facilitate smoother traffic enforcement, monitoring, road safety advocacy initiatives as well as emergency assistance by RTD officers,” Zakaria added.
PLUS and RTD had earlier opened up 3 Highway Enforcement Stations at PLUS rest and service areas in R&R Dengkil (Southbound), R&R Gunung Semanggol (Southbound) and R&R Pagoh (Southbound) in stages since 2018.
PLUS-JPJ BUKA PUSAT KAWALAN PENGUATKUASA LEBUHRAYA (UPLR) PERTAMA DI LEBUH RAYA
Sebagai salah satu daripada langkah meningkatkan lagi tahap keselamatan di lebuh raya kendaliannya, PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) dan Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) berkolaborasi membuka sebuah Pusat Kawalan Penguatkuasa Lebuhraya (Unit Penguatkuasaaan Lebuh raya) JPJ yang pertama seumpamanya di Lebuhraya.
Majlis perasmian Pusat kawalan ini yang terletak di bangunan penyeliaan Plaza Tol (Lama) Jelapang di KM268 di Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan telah disempurnakan secara bersama oleh Ketua Pengarah JPJ, Dato’ Sri Shaharuddin Khalid dan Ketua Pegawai Operasi PLUS, Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi, disaksikan oleh Ketua Pengarah Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia, Dato’ Ir. Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan serta pegawai-pegawai kanan JPJ.
Menurut Zakaria “PLUS sentiasa mencari pelbagai pendekatan untuk meningkatkan lagi tahap keselamatan di semua lebuh raya kendalian kami agar pelanggan dapat terus menikmati perkhidmatan lebuh raya yang selamat dan selesa. Justeru itu, selain daripada memberi fokus terhadap aspek kejuruteraan lebuh raya dan pendidikan menerusi program-program advokasi keselamatan jalan raya, kami turut melihat kepada aspek penguatkuasaan undang-undang dengan kerjasama JPJ dan agensi penguatkuasa yang lain.”
“Pada masa sama, kehadiran anggota JPJ yang mengadakan penguatkuasaan undang-undang di lebuh raya kami amat penting terutamanya dalam menangani isu-isu berkenaan kenderaan berat seperti penggunaan tayar botak, membawa muatan berlebihan dan tidak stabil dan lain-lain adalah amat kritikal. Umum mengetahui bahawa kebanyakan isu halangan atau objek yang berpunca daripada kenderaan berat seperti serpihan tayar, kayu, besi dan lain-lain mendatangkan bahaya kepada pelanggan-pelanggan kami. Kehadiran Rakan Keselamatan Jalan Raya PLUS seperti pasukan penguatkuasa JPJ di lebuh raya memainkan peranan penting dalam meningkatkan tahap tahap keselamatan di lebuhraya PLUS,” tambah Zakaria.
Sementara itu, menurut Dato’ Sri Shaharuddin, “Inisiatif yang telah dijalankan oleh PLUS membuktikan peranannya sebagai ‘Rakan Negara’ yang baik dalam membantu JPJ untuk meningkatkan tahap keselamatan di lebuh raya. PLUS telah menyediakan empat pejabat untuk Unit Penguatkuasaan Lebuhraya iaitu di R&R Pagoh, Johor, R&R Dengkil di Selangor, R&R Gunung Semanggol dan terbaharu Pusat Kawalan Penguatkuasa Lebuhraya, Ipoh di Perak”.
“Sumbangan dan inisiatif PLUS untuk memastikan keselamatan para pelanggannya telah mendapat pengiktirafan dengan memenangi Anugerah Keselamatan Jalan Raya ‘Prince Michael International Road Safety Award’ pada Disember 2019 dan mendapat kedudukan pertama bagi lebuh raya sistem tertutup berprestasi terbaik oleh Institut Penyelidikan Keselamatan Jalan Raya Malaysia (MIROS). Oleh itu, saya percaya kolaborasi pintar bersama PLUS merupakan kunci utama untuk memastikan keselamatan dan kesejahteraan rakyat terutama bagi pelanggan lebuh raya,” tambah Dato’ Sri Shaharuddin lagi.
Pada majlis tersebut, PLUS dan JPJ turut menandatangani Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) bagi menjalankan inisiatif dan memperkukuh kerjasama strategik melibatkan operasi dan pelaksanaan penguatkuasaan bagi meningkatkan aspek keselamatan di lebuh raya PLUS.
Pihak PLUS dan JPJ serta agensi penguatkuasa yang lain telah melaksanakan lebih kurang 165 Ops Halangan sejak tahun 2017. Statistik ini membuktikan komitmen kedua-dua pihak serta agensi penguatkuasa yang lain untuk menangani isu halangan di lebuhraya dan membantu pelanggan menikmati perjalanan yang selamat di lebuh raya.
“Selain itu, langkah mewujudkan sebuah Pusat Kawalan Penguatkuasa Lebuhraya (UPLR) JPJ di lokasi yang strategik iaitu berada di tengah-tengah jajaran Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan memberi akses yang lebih mudah bagi memberi bantuan awal dan kecemasan apabila berlaku sebarang insiden di lebuh raya. Ini adalah komitmen PLUS untuk terus menyediakan perkhidmatan lebuh raya yang selamat untuk semua pelanggan lebuh raya kami dengan berkolaborasi bersama agensi penguatkuasaan,” jelas Zakaria.
Pusat ini yang telah mula beroperasi sejak 1 Julai lalu mengawal selia segala akitiviti Unit Penguatkuasaan Lebuhraya (UPLR) yang melibatkan 4 Zon penguatkuasaan utama.
Selain itu, pusat kawalan ini telah menjalani kerja-kerja pengubahsuaian pada tahun 2019 dan mempunyai kemudahan sebuah bilik kawalan, bilik mesyuarat, ruang pejabat, bilik pegawai, bilik penyiasatan, surau, tandas serta ruang meletak kenderaan berbumbung.
“Dengan adanya Pusat ini, PLUS bersama-sama JPJ akan dapat menyampaikan perkhidmatan yang lebih baik kepada pelanggan lebuh raya melalui pelbagai inisiatif termasuklah aspek penguatkuasaan lalu lintas, pemantauan, advokasi keselamatan malahan bantuan kecemasan,” tambah Zakaria.
Terdahulu, PLUS dan JPJ juga telah membuka 3 Stesen Penguatkuasa Lebuhraya JPJ di R&R PLUS iaitu di Dengkil (Arah Selatan), Gunung Semanggol (Arah Selatan) dan Pagoh (Arah Selatan) secara berperingkat sejak 2018.
