DAP Ling SK talk about the Pan Borneo highway

 Posted on March 18, 2011, Friday

UPGRADE LONG OVERDUE: Ling and other members of his team on the road to check the Pan Borneo highway that is long overdue for upgrade.

MIRI: Sarawak urgently needed an upgraded dual-carriage Pan Borneo highway that would lead to many benefits for the people and state.

“The government should upgrade the Pan Borneo highway to dual-carriageways, with emphasis on the safety of road users,” said Democratic Action Party (DAP) Piasau branch member Ling Sie Kiong at a press conference in his office in Pelita Commercial Centre here yesterday

He explained that as the backbone of Sarawak, the long-awaited upgraded highway will stimulate development all across the state along the route, as people will be more confident using it as the primary mode of transport for their activities, which will in turn boost the state’s economy and tourism.

First constructed in 1963, the Pan Borneo highway has been compared to a typical “kampung road” found in many parts of Peninsular Malaysia today, due to the narrow lanes offered by its largely single-carriageway route stretching 1,000km from Kuching to Miri.

“Besides the bumpy, uneven surfaces and potholes, there’s also a lack of street lights and rest stations,” he said.

Road users were vulnerable to accidents due to the poor conditions found in many stretches of the highway, which is compounded by difficulty in overtaking large and slow-moving vehicles.

“It’s also risky to travel alone in some stretches that has no mobile phone reception,” said Ling who returned from travelling along the Miri-Bintulu coastal part of the highway with his team to see for himself the actual conditions.

“I have compiled photos taken on my travel to be sent with my appeal letters to the Datuk Shaziman (Federal Minister of Energy, Water and Communications) and Dato Sri Michael Manyin (State Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications) today,” he added.