Motorcyclist rams into car after driver stops on SUKE to take pictures

KUALA LUMPUR: An accident occurred on the newly opened Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) involving a motorcyclist and a car whose driver had stopped on the emergency lane to snap pictures of the scenic surroundings.

Ampang Jaya district police chief ACP Mohamad Farouk Eshak said the motorcyclist suffered leg injuries after ramming into the rear of the car in the 2.45pm incident today.

"The car driver stopped on the emergency lane (city bound) to take photographs of the scenic view before the vehicle was rammed by the motorcyclist. Both vehicles sustained damage,” he said in a statement here.

He said the case is being investigated under Rule 16 LN/166/59 of the Road Traffic Rules 1959 for obstruction leading to an accident, with those negligent facing a compound of up to RM300.

ACP Mohamad Farouk advised the public not to stop their vehicles on the emergency lane without a valid reason as doing so will only endanger road users.

Following the accident, Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) group chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah also urged SUKE users not to stop at the road shoulder except for emergencies.

He said Prolintas through its subsidiary Projek Lintasan Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Sdn Bhd was aware that some highway users were stopping on the emergency lane to take snapshots of the scenic view at several locations of the the expressway.

Bernama reported him as saying several hotspots along the highway alignment have been identified by SUKE Highway operations division to be points of interest for users and safety cones have been placed at those locations to prevent users from stopping without an emergency reason.

He added that Prolintas auxiliary police or "peronda SUKE" was located at hotspots to make patrolling rounds more often and are on duty for 24 hours.

Mohammad Azlan said "NO STOPPING UNLESS EMERGENCY" signage would be installed in the identified areas as soon as possible and the same message would be displayed on the variable-message sign (VMS) along the expressway to alert users.

"The operations division of SUKE Highway will ensure an optimal level of highway maintenance and continue to work with the local authorities, Road Transport Department and Police to ensure smooth traffic flow.

"Every kilometre along the alignment of the SUKE is equipped with 40 units of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in both directions. The operations division constantly monitors traffic movements and sends signals to ‘peronda SUKE’ to go to the location in case of emergencies or anomalies detected,” he said.

Mohammad Azlan said rest and service area would be built near the Tasik Tambahan Interchange in the future for highway users to comfortably and safely enjoy the panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur.

Mohammad Azlan said nearly 100,000 vehicles had been recorded passing through the SUKE phase 1 in the first 24 hours after being opened to motorists beginning at noon of Sept 16 to Sept 17.

Highway users started forming a queue as early as 11.30am on Friday (Sept 16) at every entrance of SUKE, within the 16.6km alignment, starting from the Cheras-Kajang Interchange to the Bukit Antarabangsa Interchange.

The opening of SUKE phase 1 was announced by Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof with a one-month toll free ride which involves two toll plazas namely the Bukit Teratai Toll Plaza and the Ampang Toll Plaza as well as 11 interchanges.

READ MORE: SUKE is KL’s new highway with a view