SPAD and JPJ blind to overloaded lorry menace

By admin-s On Dec 5, 2014

Take a close look at the photo of the overloaded lorry. Now imagine yourself driving behind it, wondering if the end of the protruding log will snap off and ricochet through your windscreen and lodge itself into your car.

Mike Tan, The Ant Daily

Or you could avoid it, only to spin out of control and be rammed by the vehicle behind you. Either way, you’re in a dangerous position, with nowhere to go.

The overloaded lorry with the protruding log was photographed on Dec 1. According to witnesses, shortly after the photo was taken, the log did indeed break, but fortunately no one was hurt. A check later the next day showed that the log had been cleared.

This is what Jerantut locals face daily. And they have had enough of it.

The areas around Jerantut, a town located in the Pahang hinterland, are rich in natural resources, and lorries ferrying out iron ore, timber and palm oil are a common sight, with scores of them coming and going on a daily basis. Businesses usually cut corners, and excessive overloading is the norm for lorries that ply the route through Jerantut.

While numerous complaints have been filed repeatedly, the recent Road Transport Department (JPJ) licence plate crackdown last month was the last straw for many Jerantut locals. The simple question on everyone’s lips was – why crackdown on locals while the overloaded lorries go unhindered?

A grassroots effort organised by Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari, the chief moderator of Kelab Intelek dan Pendidikan Malaysia, managed to turn that discontentment into a dialogue with local JPJ officials.

This was after Nor Izzat highlighted a Nov 13 incident where timber planks fell down from an overloaded lorry travelling from Jerantut to the Temerloh toll. A motorcyclist behind the lorry suffered a crash after he swerved to avoid the planks.

During the meeting with the JPJ, Nor Izzat learnt that the JPJ was doing the ‘best they can’ about the overloaded lorry issue, but that it was really an issue under the purview of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD). On their part, the JPJ had forwarded the relevant complaints to SPAD.

Following the JPJ meeting, Nor Izzat was approached by a SPAD official who requested a meeting. Nor Izzat once again highlighted the issue to the official, who promised to look into the matter.

It has been a month since, and still no action has been taken. Meanwhile, the photos shared on the Jerantut Facebook community page continue to grow.

And so do the accidents, and unfortunately, deaths.