06/10/2025

MONDAY | OCT 6, 2025

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Push for shift in road safety strategy in upcoming Budget

BUDGET 2026 WISH LIST

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: It is time for Malaysia to stop patching potholes and start saving lives. Budget 2026 must focus on building safer roads, not just fixing damaged ones, by shifting from reactive repairs to proactive safety systems, says Universiti Putra Malaysia Road Safety Research Centre head Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua. He said the government must use the next federal budget to finally tackle long-standing weaknesses in the transport system, especially the stubbornly high number of motorcyclist deaths and chronic non-compliance among heavy vehicles. “The most troubling trends remain the inordinately high fatality rate among motorcyclists and the systemic non-compliance of commercial vehicles, as shown in the recent speed limiter devices report,” he told theSun. Law said targeted funding should be channelled to specific, high impact measures such as subsidising tamper-proof speed governors for commercial fleets and

building segregated motorcycle lanes along high-risk federal routes. “These measures would physically separate vulnerable road users from fast-moving traffic and prevent collisions before they happen,” he said. He stressed that road maintenance must be seen as a core safety investment, not a beautification exercise. “Spending more on maintenance is not just for convenience – it’s a fundamental safety requirement,” he said, noting that potholes, cracks and poor lighting directly contribute to accidents and fatalities. Law proposed the setting upof a ring-fenced fund dedicated to systematic, preventive maintenance using durable materials. “This would be a worthwhile investment in preventing crashes rather than the costly habit of patching roads only after

Higher education sector set for bigger allocation TANJONG MALIM: The Higher Education Ministry expects a higher allocation under the national budget in line with the launch of the Malaysia Higher Education Plan 2026–2035 next year. Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the allocation would cover several aspects of strengthening the country’s higher education system. “If you combine the Education Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry, you’ll find that education consistently receives the largest share of the national budget. “This time, we anticipate and hope for the same. There may also be new measures to be announced by the prime minister and we are hopeful of an increase,” he told reporters after officiating at the Global Educator Award (GEA) 2025 at the Tuanku Canselor Hall of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi) on Saturday night. Also present were Upsi vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Md Amin Md Taff. Zambry said the launch of GEA 2025 was part of efforts to further internationalise the country’s higher education institutions. “I’ve asked every university to build on its own niche. For example, Upsi is a renowned institution in the field of education. “We may have overlooked the importance of such institutions with over a century of history. The GEA initiative aims to elevate Upsi onto the international stage.” The GEA 2025 programme featured a series of events combining recognition with intellectual exchange. Among the activities were a teachers summit, education forum, sharing sessions by GEA finalists and faculty, and visits for international educators to experience Malaysia’s educational practices first-hand. – Bernama In the previous budget, the government allocated RM2.8 billion for the refurbishment and maintenance of federal roads. Another RM1 billion was for non-federal routes, including secondary, Felda, industrial and flood-damaged roads. fatal outcomes. He recommended the setting up of a safe system infrastructure fund to retrofit high-risk blackspots and build “forgiving roads” that reduce the severity of crashes. He also called for mandatory, tech-based monitoring of commercial fleets to ensure full compliance with speed and safety standards. “These measures would mark a decisive shift from reactive spending to proactive, life-saving policy. “They would signal a strategic move towards a truly safety-centred national transport framework.”

o University researcher presses need for targeted investments, stricter enforcement and preventive systems to curb motorcyclist deaths and heavy vehicle crashes

tragedies occur.” To curb accidents involving heavy vehicles, Law said the focus should shift towards technology-led enforcement. He suggested creating a centralised telematics system to monitor speed, braking behaviour and driver fatigue across all commercial fleets. “This would move enforcement from sporadic roadside checks to a continuous, data-driven model,” he said. “Non-compliant fleets could be

automatically flagged or fined, ensuring accountability and consistency.” While stricter enforcement and public education remain relevant, Law said lasting change depends on infrastructure designed to make safer choices easier by default. “The Budget should make a significant share of infrastructure spending conditional on safe system design principles,” he said, referring to an approach that accepts human error and focuses on roads, vehicles and speeds that prevent

Setting standards on success of public transport PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s next federal budget should mark a turning point in how the nation measures success in transport, by prioritising journey time, reliability and commuter experience instead of simply funding new infrastructure, says transport policy expert Wan Agyl Wan Hassan. He said despite years of record spending on urban rail and highways, public transport usage remains well below target – particularly in the Klang Valley, where fewer than one in four trips are made using buses or trains, far short of the 40% goal by 2030.

“The My50 pass (RapidKL’s 30-day unlimited travel pass) has proven that affordability works. More than 2.7 million passes have been sold, and 60% of users are from the B40 group,” he told theSun . “It remains Malaysia’s most effective cost-of-living policy in transport. But subsidies alone cannot change travel habits if the system remains slow and unreliable.” Wan Agyl said Budget 2026 must focus on time, not just ticket prices, arguing that the most immediate transformation could come from bus priority measures that improve speed and reliability at a fraction of the cost of rail expansion. He said for about RM500 million, Malaysia could build 100km of dedicated bus lanes and smart traffic signal systems in key corridors across the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru. “Cities like Bogotá and London saw journey times drop by 20% to 30% when buses were given dedicated right-of-way. When buses move faster, the entire system becomes more attractive – rail lines get more feeder passengers, and the My50 pass becomes even more valuable. “If we truly want people to leave their cars, the bus must finally be faster than traffic. That should be the real ‘wow factor’ of Budget 2026.” He cautioned that Malaysia cannot “build its way out of congestion” with more flyovers or highways, which only shift bottlenecks elsewhere. Instead,

Wan Agyl said future transport policies should focus on journey time and commuter experience rather than infrastructure spending. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

on-demand microtransit within 400m of every rail station. “If we can do these two things right, commuting times could fall by up to 25%, without spending another billion on new infrastructure.” Wan Agyl added that Malaysians are not demanding new mega projects but visible, everyday improvements that make journeys faster and less stressful. “People don’t need more ribbon cuttings – they need buses that move, trains that run on time and roads that are safe. “Budget 2026 should mark a new era for transport priorities – one that values minutes saved over kilometres built. “If the government can give every Malaysian even just 20 minutes back each day, that would be the most powerful ‘wow factor’ any budget could deliver.” – By HARITH KAMAL

the start managing travel demand more effectively through targeted reforms. Wan Agyl suggested that congestion pricing be introduced gradually – starting with feasibility studies and public education, followed by a pilot in downtown Kuala Lumpur or Bangsar South – but warned against rushing implementation before public transport reliability improves. “Congestion charges, if introduced prematurely, will only frustrate drivers without changing behaviour. It can only work after people have reliable alternatives.” He said parking policy reform is also key to addressing urban gridlock, noting that Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya still offer cheap, abundant parking even near rail stations — a practice that encourages car use and undermines public transport ridership. “Internationally, cities like Seoul government should

and Melbourne reduced traffic by tightening parking supply and channelling parking revenue into public transport upgrades. Malaysia can do the same – fewer parking spaces near transit and better pedestrian access to stations.” Wan Agyl also urged for employer based travel management, such as tax incentives for flexible working hours, company carpool schemes and staff subsidies for My50 passes. “These are inexpensive, high impact policies that directly reduce peak-hour congestion without adding new roads.” For Kuala Lumpur, he proposed two practical steps that could ease congestion within two years: introducing peak-hour bus priority corridors to keep buses moving faster than traffic and improving first and last-mile access through shaded walkways, expanded feeder buses and