More accidents if streetlights not installed — rep
KOTA KINABALU: Moyog assemblyman Terrence Siambun yesterday took the State Government and Penampang District Council (PDC) to task for the delay in the installation of the streetlights along the Pan Borneo Highway stretching from the Sigah roundabout until Kampung Potuki.
Siambun reiterated that there is no need for the PDC to wait for the actual handover of the highway to the state Public Works Department (PWD) to enable them to proceed with the installation of the streetlights.
“There are about 20 BN-appointed councillors in PDC and what are they actually waiting for? Several accidents have already occurred along that highway with death recorded due the absence of streetlights.
“Do the councillors at PDC have to wait for one more fatal accident before finally coming to their senses over this serious matter?” said a fuming Siambun.
He said that the highway’s close proximity to houses itself increased the chances for more accidents to happen in the future.
“I have been informed by a villager that a motorcyclist coming out from one of the many houses or junctions along the highway could easily be knocked down by a speeding car along this highway because it is simply too dark.
“So please do not wait for another fatal accident to happen again and install the streetlights immediately,” he said.
He also pointed it out that it makes no sense at all for road users along the highway to travel up or down for a few kilometres just to make a U-turn.
The key word here is sensibility; is it sensible, for example, for a road user from Jalan Dakata coming out at Kampung Penampang Proper and going to Donggongon Town to drive up to Kampung Hubah to make a U-turn? Or for anyone from Kampung Limbanak to drive up all the way to Kampung Sugud just to make the U-turn?” he questioned.
Overtime, when the highway is fully operational and more development taking place along the vast empty spaces at the side of the road from Kampung Potuki to Donggongon, it will cause traffic jam in the morning because the design is made to force everyone from the opposite lane to drive as far as possible at that side of the road (from Kampung Potuki to Donggongon), he opined.
“So my advice to the state PWD director and Deputy Chief Minister cum Infrastructre Development Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan is that please, use some sensibility in this issue because the design itself is very unfriendly to users,” he said.