KUALA LUMPUR: The design and construction of guardrails on bridges take into account the speed limit on the road, as well as safety factor, a board member of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon said.
He said construction of the guardrails was intended to provide safe and comfortable passage for road users, including to avoid accidents.
“The speed limit on the Penang Bridge is 80 kilometre per hour. In terms of the infrastructure (guard rail) provided, it is suitable for the speed limit.
“Therefore, I do not see the need to improve the infrastructure because it is built in accordance with the specification on the permissible speed on the bridge. Instead, road users are advised to abide by road regulations and to drive safe,” he said when contacted by Bernama here.
However, Wong, who is a lecturer at the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), said if the government had the allocation , it would be better to improve guardrails at the bridges to ensure safety of motorists.
He said this in response to a statement by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow for concessionaires to review the specifications of guardrails along the Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah bridge to avoid vehicles plunging off the bridges during road accidents.
Chow said the existing guardrails might not be e sufficient to prevent a vehicle involved in an accident from plunging into the sea.
This came about after a sports utility vehicle plunged into the sea at KM 4 of the Penang Bridge towards Perai in an incident last Sunday.
The driver, identified as 20-year-old private college student, Moey Yun Peng, and his vehicle were retrieved from the sea yesterday.
Meanwhile, UPM head of Architecture Department, Faculty of Design and Architecture, Dr Shafizal Maarof said the specification and standards of guardrails could be reviewed and improved according to environmental conditions.
“For example, at critical and risky locations, it can be improved to reduce the impact of accidents. In any product, the design is important. In terms of engineering, an engineer building a product will take into account the function of each product as well as its durability,“ he added. — Bernama
