M'SIAN ROADS TO BE SAFETY RATED, SAYS ONG

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 (Bernama) -- All roads in the country will soon be given
safety rating after an assessment spearheaded by the International Road
Assessment Programme (iRAP) is completed.

Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat said Saturday the assessment, in
collaboration with the Road Safety Department, Malaysian Institute of Road
Safety Research (Miros) and the Public Works Department (PWD), started last
October with an initial 3,800km and would eventually cover the entire road
network in the country.

"Not just hotels will have four or five-star ratings. Now our roads also
will be rated based on their safety and engineering aspects," he told reporters
after launching a road safety campaign here.

The assessment was aimed at significantly reducing road casualties by
improving the safety of road infrastructure, he said.

The recommendations of the iRAP, when implemented, were expected to reduce
by up to 30 per cent road fatalities due to road design and engineering.

"I was made to understand that the PWD is finding the assessment very useful
and is now getting more funds to conduct a more extensive study on the entire
road network in the country. And I hope that results of the assessment will be
revealed soon," he said.

Among the criteria assessed are the road surface, delineation, road signage,
lighting, blind spots and guard rails.

Ong said the ministry would embark on more dialogue sessions between
authorities and stakeholders in the transport industry, which would include road
safety advocates and consumers on road safety, for them to voice their views on
improving road safety.

"I find that through such platforms, many problems which were previously
unknown had been raised and given serious attention by the authorities," he
added.
-- BERNAMA