After a viral video of a fellow Penangite stating that he crossed the Penang Bridge under four minutes with a top speed of 370km/h on a 750cc sports bike, a fellow youth decided to prove him wrong by riding his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R in just 2 minutes 20 seconds with a top speed of 260km/h. (more…)
The Penang Chief Minister is urging the Penang Bridge and Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah concessionaires to review the safety standards of their guardrails, following a highly publicized accident.
An SUV went over the guardrails at the Penang Bridge and into the sea after being hit by another vehicle on 20thJanuary. The subsequent recovery effort has grabbed the attention of the entire nation. The wreckage of the SUV and its occupant, a 20-year-old college student, has been located last night (21stJanuary).
It was not the first accident which saw a vehicle crashing into the sea, by far. There were four other cases stretching back to 2010.
A young married couple’s MPV hit a metal railing, send the vehicle off the bridge.
An accounting clerk’s vehicle hit a barrier, sending the car into the sea at kilometer-7.4 on the Penang island-bound side.
A motorcyclist was thrown over the bridge after his motorcycle scraped against another at kilometer-1.4., island-bound. Fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries as he landed in soft mud.
A driver lost control of his car before plunging into the sea at kilometer-0.6, Prai-bound.
The latest case in which an SUV rolled and hopped over the barrier.
Although there was only one case involving a motorcyclist, steps should have been taken earlier. The view from the two Penang bridges are spectacular but one cannot deny how low the present barriers are. On the other hand, shutting the view off entirely would not sit well, either.
However, there is another dark side which we should consider: Suicides. There’ve been a number of cases of people jumping off the bridges to commit suicide. In fact, one attempt had occurred this morning off the second bridge while the recovery efforts of the SUV were still ongoing.
But we have always questioned why always act after tragedies? Why are our authorities so myopic? That is not the only problem. As we mentioned in another article, enforcement only goes on for about 3 months then everyone goes back to breaking the law.
Let’s hope something is done this time.
The Malaysian government has abolished for motorcycle toll collection at three locations.
The move is the first step toward full abolishment of toll charges in the country. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said that the government could not eradicate all toll payments at the moment due to the large debt accrued by the previous administration. Stopping toll charges would mean the government has to pay the highway concessionaires in order to subsidize the Rakyat’s toll payments.
“Abolishing motorcycle tolls at Penang’s First and Second Bridges together with the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link in Johor is the first step to completely abolish tolls,” said Guan Eng.
Singapore will also scrap toll payment for motorcycles on the Republic’s end from 21stJanuary.
Deputy Works Minister Mohd. Anuar Tahir officiated the removal of toll collection at the Tuas checkpoint. He said that Malaysian motorcyclists will save between RM 24.20 to RM 66.00 per month.
He also reiterated the current administration’s pledge in stopping all toll payments.
The Minister also spoke about fuel prices. While there was no cap (maximum price) before, RON 95 is now capped at RM 2.20 per litre, and diesel at RM 2.18 per litre. New retail prices will be in effect from 1stJanuary 2019 onwards.
With the upcoming general election coming up next month, a lot of folks from several parties have been throwing around a lot of pledges and promises regarding their plans to make the country a better place. The latest pledge which caught our attention was the one made by Barisan Nasional (BN) in regards to their future in the state of Penang. (more…)
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