COPS DISMISS COMPLAINTS
POLICE have not been doing their part to reduce traffic congestion in Cameron Highlands, says Regional Environment Awareness Cameron Highlands (REACH).
REACH president Ramakrishnan Ramasamy said traffic police were seldom seen at bottlenecks, especially in Kea Farm near Brinchang, the major town in Cameron Highlands.
He claimed that police only issued up to 20 summonses a day, and that this had emboldened irresponsible drivers to park their vehicles illegally by the roadside.
“Police need to be strict in the enforcement and administration of illegal parking offences,” Ramakrishnan told the New Straits Times..
“If police do not do their job, we will never be able to keep traffic flowing on our roads.”
Cameron Highlands is notorious for experiencing exceptionally high traffic volumes during weekends and public holidays, due to the influx of tourists.
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Cameron Highlands police chief Deputy Superintendent Hasadid A. Hamid has denied that the police only issued a limited number of summons daily.
Citing an example, he said more than 100 summonses were issued in Brinchang and Tanah Rata on Thursday.
“Today (Friday), we issued more than 55 summonses as at 3pm,” he said.
Hasadid said additional police officers and personnel from other districts were stationed in Cameron Highlands during festive period to help monitor traffic.
He said there were no fewer than 12 police officers and traffic personnel on duty from 8am to 9pm daily during festive seasons.
He also clarified that they did not stay put in one location as they had to patrol the whole of the Cameron Highlands region.
Hasadid added that the real solution lay in the construction of more parking lots, which was the responsibility of the local council.