Banning heavy vehicles from using the right lane on highways not a practical move, say lorry associations

The government’s decision to finally enforce the ban on buses and lorries from using the rightmost lane on highways may be welcome news for motorists, but not everyone agrees that the move is a practical idea, as The Star reports.

Lorry associations and commercial transport groups are among those who have voiced their reservations about the ruling, saying that authorities should consider the reality on the ground before enforcing the ban.

Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Lorry Operators Association secretary-general Alvin Choong said banning heavy vehicles altogether from right lanes would disrupt the smooth flow of highways in the first place. “The move is not that practical. Not all highways have more than two lanes and restricting them from using the right lanes would only cause traffic jams and endanger other road users,” he said.

“Since there are many slow-moving vehicles travelling in the left lanes too, how would the authorities implement the law banning commercial vehicles travelling on the right lane, given that this would cause massive congestion?,” he asked.

Choong said that the high number of commercial vehicles plying highways is to ensure smooth delivery of goods and daily necessities. “Please do not discard the contributions of commercial vehicles in our daily lives. Do not make us the scapegoat for poor planning on the highways,” he said.

Negeri Sembilan Lorry Operators’ Association treasurer Alvin Loke said that there are already stretches along highways which do not allow overtaking as well as confining heavy vehicles to the left lanes. “We are hounded by the authorities waiting to pounce on us when we overtake. Enforcing this will increase the possibility of corruption,” he told the publication.

Meanwhile, express bus operators say the move is a correct one and they will abide by rules. According to Pan-Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali, this is because the Act clearly spells out the use of right lanes and speed limits.

“The right lane should only be used when overtaking. Buses and lorries are heavy vehicles and slow-moving. There is already a speed limit imposed on heavy vehicles. It is the right decision and we support it,” he said. However, he hopes that authorities will not clamp down on the entire fleet based on the actions of one errant driver. “The enforcement by the authorities is important in holding the driver solely responsible,” he said.

As reported earlier, transport ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan said the rule banning buses and lorries from the rightmost lane was gazetted in 2015, but had yet to be enforced.

“Under this rule, lorries and buses must stay in the left lane and are not allowed to speed. If they need to overtake, they may move to the second lane and then return to the left. However, they are strictly prohibited from using the third lane at any time,” he said.

The move to enforce the ban is one of the five measures that will be implemented to tighten regulations on commercial vehicles. The other regulatory enhancements include mandatory speed control device installation, GPS tracking, high-speed weigh-in-motion (HS-WIM) detectors at 11 highway locations, and additional automated enforcement system (AES) cameras.

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