Labuan motorists dismayed over lack of proper street lighting

LABUAN: Motorists are dismayed over the lack of proper street lighting at the stretch of the highway from RanauLahad Datu-Tawau which has left nocturnal drivers in the dark.

Pot holes on most of the roads are leaving motorists and their families to dice with danger when plying the stretch.

A motorist, Zulkiflie Salleh, 45, who works in Labuan had returned to Tawau for the Hari Raya holidays had this to say:

“The pot holes on most of the roads are putting drivers, especially those with families onboard their vehicles, at risk.

“The condition of the roads in the Telupid district, all the way to Beluran and Lahad Datu are in deplorable state, and what worsens the situation is, when drivers of small vehicles compete with large trucks and coach buses, with heavy loads of cargo or passengers,” the 45-year-told told Bernama in a recent interview.

He lamented that the absence of traffic lights made travelling difficult at night as the indicator lines on the highway roads were not clearly marked, making it difficult to drive on track.

“That is the daily, dark reality for thousands of Sabah commuters,” he said.

His wife, Normala Sidik said: “Anyone plying this highway to ‘balik kampung’ knows how dark it can be, especially when there are few cars on the road.

“The road is plunged in darkness.”

Many commuters have aired their grievances on the lackadaisical attitude of certain leaders in the previous government administration over the issue.

Based on police statistics, accidents occurring in this highway spiked, especially during the Hari Raya festive season.

The latest accident occurred on the second day of Hari Raya, involving a family which returned from a Hari Raya celebration in Beluran.

In that crash, a 29-yearold woman was killed and five others, including a sixyear-old child were seriously injured when the car they were travelling in, skidded and struck a concrete wall of a drain located at KM11 Jalan Beluran.