DANGERS OF SPEEDING AND SPILLAGE BY LORRIES (Measures to minimise)

Encik Rahmat Bin Kenap Al-Haj asked the Minister for Health and Home Affairs what measures are being taken to minimise danger to road users from spillage on the roads from lorries carrying sand, stones, earth, etc., and from such lorries being driven at speeds in excess of the prescribed speed limits.

The Minister for Health and Home Affairs (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, drivers of lorries which spill sand, stones, earth, etc. On public roads are ticketted under the Environmental Public Health Act. Further, if the spillage is on a small scale, it is cleaned up by labourers of the Environmental Health Division. However, if it is extensive, the contractor is required to clean it up, or the Environmental Health Division will do so and bill him.

In some cases, water-waggons are also deployed for emergency flushing of spillage on public roads. Where the littering is expected to be protracted, the contractor is required to provide his own flushing facilities to the satisfaction of the Environmental Health Division.

If the spillage damages the road, the haulage contractor is required to repair the road to the satisfaction of the PWD or the PWD will do so and bill him.

The Traffic Police takes a serious view of such lorries violating traffic rules. Those who drive the lorries in excess of the prescribed speed limits are fined or prosecuted. A Selective Enforcement Squad has also been formed within the Mobile Squad of the Traffic Police Division to deal with such offenders.

For the period 1-1-72 to 31-12-72, 502 cases of spillage by lorries on roads and 3,167 cases of speeding by lorries were reported to the Police and appropriate action taken against them.