The opening of Smart Lanes on highways has been aimed at reducing traffic congestion, with implementation from February 12 this year ahead of the Chinese New Year festive season. According to road safety experts, the Smart Lane implementation should however not come at the expense of road safety, reported The Star.
While converting the emergency lane to an additional lane during peak hours may seem like a practical and cost-effective solution for reducing traffic congestion, there are inherent risks associated with the move, according to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) road safety expert associate professor Law Teik Hua.
“Smart lanes are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they help alleviate traffic jams by maximising existing road space without the need to build new highways. For motorists stuck in queues, even small reductions in travel time can bring significant relief,” Law said.
Safety concerns have since emerged, and this mainly involved stopped vehicles on the emergency lane, and slow detection of incidents on emergency lanes. according to Law.
PLUS Malaysia graphic of Smart Lane signage; March 2025
“The shoulder is designed to accommodate disabled vehicles, ambulances and emergency response teams. Using it as an additional traffic lane compromises this safety buffer. If implemented without proper oversight, the risks may outweigh the benefits,” he continued.
Overseas, smart motorways allows dynamic use of the hard shoulder to increase traffic capacity, and temporary highway shoulder use in the United States and Australia was subject to strict operating controls, supported by clear signage, speed management, enforcement and surveillance, he said.
These overseas examples of implementation showed that smart lanes can work in Malaysia, but only if robust safeguards are in place, such as with carefully controlled activation timing, operate strictly during genuine peak-hour congestion, and must be closed once traffic eases. “They must not become a permanent measure to increase highway capacity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh said that smart lanes should not displace emergency lanes, which are intended to facilitate the efficient deployment of rescue vehicles for major road incidents and disasters.
Among the factors contributing to traffic congestion on highways is the offer of discounts and exemptions on toll fare charges during festive seasons, he said.
“Offers of toll discounts for a day or two are a bad idea, as motorists tend to schedule their travel plans around them. This creates congestion and an artificial peak traffic period for travellers who would have otherwise travelled on other dates,” he said.
“This will encourage carpooling and reduce congestion. At the same time, toll fees should be imposed on motorcyclists to discourage them from travelling during festive seasons to reduce fatalities and accidents in this category of vehicle,” Suret said.
