No Road Ban For Heavy Vehicles During Upcoming Deepavali

For the upcoming Deepavali celebrations, there will be no road ban for heavy vehicles on highways, according to Works Ministry Deputy Secretary-General (Policy & Development) Datuk Zahrul Hakim Abdullah. This is in contrast to other significant festive periods, like Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, when such bans are usually implemented to reduce traffic congestion.
Authorities have taken steps to manage the possible impact of heavy vehicles on traffic, especially in the event of accidents, because safety precautions won't be jeopardized even if there isn't a ban, Zahrul added.

"Restrictions on heavy vehicles require a gazette process by the government. For Deepavali, and several other festive occasions, no such restriction has been imposed," he said at a press conference on highway preparations for Deepavali, held at Persada Plus.

Superintendent Khairul Azhar Ismail, principal assistant director of the Bukit Aman Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department said that his department has deployed 500 police officers across 28 highway sectors, including 16 sections of the East Coast Highway and the North-South Expressway, to reduce the possibility of protracted roadblocks during the holiday season.

Emergency teams and highway authorities will also assist in this effort.

"If an accident occurs, the Traffic Management Centre will be the first to respond. We also have Plus Ronda, auxiliary police, and other personnel on standby. We will evaluate the key performance indicators for congestion, and if it exceeds the threshold we've set, we will take the necessary actions to ease traffic for all road users."