Seven motorists to face court

JOHOR BARU: The owners of seven vehicles who blocked the emergency lane along Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah on May 22, will be taken to court, said Road Transport Department director of enforcement, Datuk V. Valluvan Veloo.
Speaking after visiting the state RTD here, he said there were 91 vehicles on the emergency lane that evening based on recordings, seven of which were clearly obstructing the lane, including three Singapore-registered vehicles.
"These drivers will be charged in court. These vehicles clearly obstructed an ambulance during an emergency that day," he said.
Those concerned will be charged under the Road Traffic Regulation 1959, which carries a fine of up to RM2,000 or six months' jail for first offenders and a fine up to RM4,000 or up to one year's jail for second time offenders.
On May 22, a motorcyclist hit a car parked on the emergency lane and the rider landed in the middle of the highway. In an attempt to avoid him, a lorry overturned.
The incident occurred at Km228 of the North-South Expressway, Km228 (southbound) near the Simpang Ampat toll in Alor Gajah around 4.30pm.
The first emergency medical team could have reached the site in about 20 minutes, but because of the obstruction, it took about an hour to do so.
Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Azizan Ismail advised motorists to take pictures of drivers hogging emergency lanes and send them to the RTD.
He said the situation has now almost gone out of hand, with more and more road users using the lane, especially during peak hours, causing response time for emergency units to be delayed in cases of accidents.
He urged the public to imagine the consequences if their family members are the ones deprived of emergency aid because of the irresponsible behaviour of motorists.
"While the public can report to RTD, please also take pictures of the cars as evidence," he told reporters after a Disaster Training Exercise at the Loke Yew toll plaza, conducted by Besraya (M) Sdn Bhd, today.