AWAS speed cameras – point-to-point-based detection pilot testing from June on KL-Karak, N-S Expressway

The Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS) with a point-to-point method of measuring travel time and distance for detecting speed limit violations is expected to commence pilot testing in June this year, New Straits Times has reported.

The pilot AWAS project is intended to replace the static camera setup currently in use, and the artificial intelligence (AI) equipped system will monitor two routes. The first is from the Genting Sempah tunnel to the Gombak rest stop on the KL-Karak Expressway, and from the Senawang toll plaza to the Simpang Ampat toll plaza in Alor Gajah on the North-South Expressway.

Motorists could be detected at toll plazas if they arrive earlier than the estimated travel time, transport ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan told Berita Harian.

“The system, installed at toll plazas, will record travel time based on distance. For example, if a driver travelling from Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, to Tanjung Malim, Perak, arrives earlier than the estimated time, their vehicle’s licence plate will be detected, and a summons will be issued automatically,” he said.

The system, powered by artificial intelligence, can detect if a driver has stopped at any location to extend their travel time in an attempt to evade detection. “This means drivers cannot escape being detected if they exceed the speed limit, as the system measures both distance and time,” Jana said.

The statement by the transport ministry secretary-general echoes the statement made by transport minister Anthony Loke in January.

“We don’t want drivers to slow down just in front of the camera, but (slow down) within a certain distance. Let’s say between point A and point B, we want to know how long the driver takes. If he uses less time than he should, it means he is speeding and will be subject to action,” Loke said at the time.

A company has been appointed to conduct the proof-of-concept process for the system without any financial impact on the government, Jana added.

Two highways – the KL-Karak Expressway and the Menora Tunnel along the North-South Expressway north of Ipoh – are the first to receive the point-to-point AWAS camera system, as these have been identified as high-risk areas. Speed camera calibration at the Menora Tunnel commenced January 15, and the speed cameras along the highway near the tunnel will be operating in both northbound and southbound directions.

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