There should be no confusion over road repairs, as public safety is paramount – road safety experts

Of late, there have been reports of complaints about stretches of roads not being repaired because no one is sure of which council or authority they fall under. However, road safety experts say this should not be the case, as jurisdictional gaps do not exist, The Star reports.

According to Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh, the responsibility for road maintenance is clearly defined, with federal, state and local council roads each falling under specific jurisdictions. “There are very clear boundary lines. It is very clear who is in charge of what,” he said.

Even in cases where responsibility appeared unclear, he said repairs should not be delayed, as it affected public safety. “Agencies such as Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) can coordinate with the relevant authorities to ensure the road is repaired quickly. It is a matter of coordination and communication. A silo mentality is not acceptable.”

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) road safety engineering and environment centre research officer Rizati Hamidun agreed with Suret that every road had a designated agency responsible for its maintenance.

“Confusion may arise in newly developed areas awaiting handover (of the road) and at jurisdictional boundaries. From a safety perspective, risks must be addressed promptly through cooperation. A shared responsibility approach is key to protecting road users,” she said.

On the subject of road repair work quality, Suret said complaints about poor patch-up jobs and substandard repairs had increased, with some contributing to accidents, and he called on authorities to take a firmer stance against errant contractors.

He said that poorly performing contractors should be called out, penalised and even suspended, and proposed a centralised database of underperforming contractors be made to improve accountability, with the track records of these contractors being made public.

On whether a centralised database or blacklist of contractors was needed, Rizati said the mechanisms already existed. “Road owners have control systems and contractor performance databases used in appointment and monitoring processes. Contractor selection is based on performance and technical capability to ensure quality delivery and safety,” she said. However, she added that improvements could still be made in governance, transparency and industry capacity.

Meanwhile, Suret also voiced his concerns about complaints platforms MyJalan app and Adu@KL website, saying that there were sometimes discrepancies between system updates and actual conditions on the ground. He said in some cases, complaints marked as “resolved” actually remained unaddressed on-site. “This should never happen. When a system says an issue has been resolved, it must reflect reality,” he said.

He called for better verification, suggesting that platforms should allow users to speak directly to someone in the relevant authority. “Like banks, there should be an option to speak to someone. When it involves safety, there must be a way to verify that what is recorded in the system matches what is happening on the ground,” he said.

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