Question 1 – Malaysia Government Transportation Agencies

Kementerian Pengangkutan or Ministry of Transport (MOT), is a federal

government agency of Malaysia responsible for transport infrastructure, headquartered

in Putrajaya. The body acts to ensure a variety of transportations are available in the country

which are smart, safe, sufficient and friendly. Among the roles and responsibilities of MOT

are planning, establishing and executing the policy and building the infrastructure for rail,

maritime, ports and air transportation, to offer licensing services for individuals, concessions

holder, and domestic shipping, and registration of vehicles of all modes.

Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) or Malaysian Road Transport

Department (RTD) is a government department under the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

The department is charged with the responsibility of undertaking registration and licensing of

drivers and all motor vehicles and trailers in Malaysia. The main objectives are to regulate the

registration and licensing of motor vehicles, to enforce and administer the road transport law

and to monitor the motor vehicle safety standards.

Kementerian Kerja Raya (KKR) or Ministry of Works (MOW), is a federal

government agency that is also responsible for development of transportation, however

MOW focuses on the development of the federal road and not the other modes of transport

like one undertaken by the MOT. MOW is also responsible for the construction of federal

buildings.

Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) or Highway Authority of Malaysia is

under Ministry of Work (MOW). It was established to supervise and execute the design,

construction, regulation, operation and maintenance of expressways and inter-urban

highways, to impose and collect tolls, to enter into contracts and to provide for matters

related to highways system. They undertake the development, maintenance and regulation of

highways to comply with international standards in order to provide sufficient, comfortable

and safe highway services. They manage the toll collections from the highway users and

carry out research to efficiently utilize the highways and all the facilities related to it.

Therefore, as far as tolled highways system is concern, LLM is the expert being referred to by

the federal government.

Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) or Public Work Department (PWD) is the federal

government department also under the Ministry of Works (MOW). They do not specifically

in charge of road transportation, rather they are more general in which they are responsible

for construction and maintenance of public infrastructure in Malaysia which includes roads,

buildings, mechanical, electrical, military and water works. JKR is responsible for

construction and maintenance of the Malaysia Federal Roads System which is the main

national road network in the country.

Question 2 – List of Road Design Guidelines in Malaysia

As extracted from JKR official website, the guidelines are listed as follows:

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 1/85 (Pind.1/89)  Manual On Design Guidelines of: Longitudinal Traffic Barrier

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 2A/85 Manual on Traffic Control Devices: Standard Traffic Signs:

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 2B/85 Manual on Traffic Control Devices: Traffic Sign Applications

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 2C/85 Manual on Traffic Control Devices: Temporary Sign And Work Zones Control

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 2D/85Manual on Traffic Control Devices: Road Marking And Delineation

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 2E/87 Manual on Traffic Control Devices: Guide Signs Design And Application

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 3/85 (Pind.1/88) Garis Panduan Untuk Memproses Pembangunan Tepi Jalan Persekutuan

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 4/85 (Pind.1997)Application for The Installation of Public Utilities Services Within the Road Reserve First Schedule - Guidelines for JKR Engineers Second Schedule - Instruction To Applicants

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 5/85 Manual On Pavement Design

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 6/85 (Pind.1/88) Guidelines for Presentation of Engineering Drawings

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 7/85 Garis Panduan Untuk Penyediaan Pelan Pengambilan Balik Tanah Bagi Projek Jalan Persekutuan

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 8/86A Guide On Geometric Design of Roads

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 9/86 A Guidelines for The Installation of Kilometre Post

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 10/86A Guide To The Design of Cycle Track

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 11/87 A Guide To The Design of At-Grade Intersections

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 12/87 

A Guide To The Design of Interchanges

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 13/87 A Guide To The Design of Traffic Signals

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 14/87 Model Terms of Reference For Detailed Ground Survey And Engineering Design of Roads

Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 15/97 Intermediate Guidelines to Drainage Design of Roads

Nota Teknik (Jalan) 18/97 Basic Guidelines on Padestrian Facilities

Nota Teknik (Jalan) 19/97Intermediate Guidelines to Road Reserve Landscaping

Nota Teknik (Jalan) 20/98 Design Review Checklist for Road Projects

Construction Supervision Manual for Contract Road Works

Guidelines for Inspection & Testing of Road Works

A Guide to the Visual Assessment of Flexible Pavement Surface Conditions

Interim Guide to Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Flexible Road Pavement

Interim Guide on Identifying, Prioritising and Testing Hazardous Locations on Roads in Malaysia

Guidelines for the Environmental Impact Assessment of Highway/Road Project

Standard Specification for Road Works

Road Safety Audit Guidelines for the Safety Audit of Roads and Road Project in Malaysia

A Guide to good quality control practices on asphalt production and construction (book & CD)

As extracted from REAM (Road Engineering Association Malaysia) official website, the list of guidelines are listed as follows:

1. Guidelines for Road Drainage Design (5 volumes)

i. Hydrological Analysis – Estimation of Design Floods – Volume 1

ii. Hydraulic Design of Culverts – Volume 2

iii. Hydraulic Considerations in Bridge Design – Volume 3

iv. Surface Drainage – Volume 4

v. Subsoil Drainage – Volume 5

2. Guidelines on Bridge Aesthetics

3. Guidelines for Works Related to Public Utility Installations Within the Road Reserve

4. A Guide on Geometric Design of Roads

5. A Guide for Bridge Inspection

6. Guidelines to the Design of Plain Concrete Pavement

i. Part 1 – Concrete Pavement Selection

ii. Part 2 – Thickness Design of Plain Concrete Pavement

iii. Part 3 – Specification for the Construction of Plain Concrete Pavement

7. Guidelines on Traffic Control and Management Devices

i. Part 4 – Pavement Marking and Delineation

8. Guidelines for Planning Scope of Site Investigation Works for Road Projects

9. Specification for Cold in – Place Recycling

10. Guidelines on Design and Selection of Longitudinal Traffic Safety Barrier

11. Specification for Semi-Rigid Wearing Course

12. Specification for Hot In – Place Recycling

13. Specification for Polymer Modified Asphaltic Concrete

14. Specification for Porous Asphalt

15. Guidelines on Traffic Control and Management Devices

i. Part 3a: Application of Traffic Signs: Signing Scheme at Junctions (At-Grade)

16. Guidelines for Traffic Impact Assessment

17. Guidelines for Motorcycle Facilities

18. Manual on Bridge Asset Management

19. Guidelines on the Selection of Pavement Types-Asphalt or Concrete

20. Specifications for Stone Mastic Asphalt

21. A Guide to the Structural Design of New Flexible Pavement

Question 3 – Road Category

A road hierarchy has been accepted as one of the important tools used for road

network and land use planning, it differentiates roads by functions so that appropriate

objectives for that roadway can be set and appropriate design criteria can be implemented.

The use of road hierarchy contributes to general safety by aiding in orderly planning of heavy

vehicle and dangerous goods routes, it also helps the planning of safe and efficient bus,

cycling and walking routes. There is no unanimous agreement on the classification of road as

there are a number of different hierarchies being utilized in different countries, thus there is

no standard version. The hierarchy to be discussed here is typical one.

Expressways are divided highways for through traffic with full control of access,

always with grade separations at all intersections and usually serve long trips e.g. interstate

and smooth traffic flow e.g. North South Expressways (PLUS) and East Coast Expressway

(LPT). Expressways may also serve short distances in which they stretch only within the state

such as North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE). Normally design speed for expressway is

110km/h

Highways are usually high-speed roads that connect cities or states or regions to each

other. Some countries such as the United States interchangeably use the term highway and

arterial as their functions are partly identical. In Malaysia the arterials, highway and

expressway are interchangeably used.

Arterials are continuous road with partial access control for through traffic within

urban areas. They are normally wide high speed roads that are actually within the city, it does

not serve traffic movement as fast as the highways or expressways and they may have

stoplights. The speed limit may varies from 50 – 80 km/h depending on the functions and

limitations. Arterials are expected to carry large volumes of traffic and are frequently the

route of choice for intercity buses and trucks. Due to increasing complexity and

sophistication of road network system, arterials are often divided into 2 categories to further

separate their functions, some hierarchies divide arterial into major and minor, arterial and

sub-arterial, urban and rural or primary and secondary. Despite the different names for both

categories, all the hierarchy systems have a common reason for the division: The major

arterials are usually the main national roads or highways connecting significant centers of

population, the traffic movement distance is usually longer than minor arterials and it usually

provides through traffic movements and they are the primary freight and dangerous goods

routes, some examples are the Kuala Lumpur Federal Highway, Kuala Lumpur – Seremban

Highway, Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) and Jalan Cheras. Minor arterials are usually the

main roads joining the local areas and smaller centers of population, or they provide a link

between larger population areas to the major arterials or they provide a link between major

arterials, an example is Ampang Road and Syed Putra Road.

Collectors “collect” traffic from Local Roads and connect traffic to arterial roadways.

Collector routes are typically shorter than arterial routes but longer than local roads.

Collectors often provide traffic circulation within residential neighborhoods as well as

commercial, industrial or civic districts and the speed limit is 40 – 60 km/h. Generally in

large cities, there are 2 types of collectors: major and minor. Major collector forms the basic

network of the road transportation system within a district. They serve intermediate trip

lengths with partial access control and link up the arterial road to town. Minor collector is a

road with partial access control designed to serve on a collector between major collector and

the local road system. It penetrates and serves identifiable neighborhoods, commercial areas

and industrial areas. In small cities, the division is usually not necessary due to lesser

populations and simplicity of their road network.

Local Roads serve to provide direct access for residential or other area of

development in urban areas. The roads are designed for low speed environments and

pedestrian priority therefore the speed limit is normally set below 40 km/h. Their function is

to provide direct property access. They are not intended for use in long distance travel, due to

their provision of direct access to abutting land. Bus routes generally do not run on local

roads. They are often designed to discourage through traffic. As public roads, they should be

accessible for public use throughout the year. Local Roads are often classified by default. In

other words, once all Arterial and Collector roadways have been identified, all remaining

roadways are classified as Local Roads.

Question 4 – Disadvantages of Road Transport

Road transport has some significant merits over its air and water counterparts,

however it is also recognized for several noticeable disadvantages. During rainy or flood

season, roads become unfit and unsafe to use as a mean of transportation as compared to rail

transportation because the vehicles on the road are manually maneuvered while train’s path is

fixed by the rail track, thus probability of accidents on the road is higher, this issue is

significant in tropical countries subjected to heavy flooding rain. Road vehicles are also

subjected to higher accidents and breakdowns rate as compared to rail transport.

For people living in the urban, travelling on road has a high risk of delays during the

peak hours, in this case, travelling by rail offers more comfortable ride and it is more secured

in terms of time management as rail transport has a fixed schedule for arrival, departure and

travelling period which gives huge advantage for the users to plan their trip. Apart from that,

since road transport users are obligated by law to focus on maneuvering their vehicles, their

productivity during travelling are limited while rail transport users may use their travelling

time at their own interest to increase their productivity e.g. reading books, texting family and

loved ones, holding a video or teleconference and doing web research.

For delivery businesses, the rates charged for road transportation always fluctuate

since toll prices are changing frequently, thus it is less stable than its rail counterpart. In case

of delivering bulky items, road transport may be unsuitable especially over long distances,

not to mention the high cost which sometimes does not justify for the value of the items being

delivered i.e. pay high delivery fees for cheap bulky items. Compared to air transportation,

the delivering speed is highly reduced on road transportation which results in longer waiting

period for the customers.

As a conclusion, road transportation along with other modes have their own merits

and demerits, therefore it is crucial to identify these pros and cons to maximize their

potential, to minimize their flaw and eventually manipulating them to benefit our purpose.

Question 5 – How to Overcome Congestion in Traffic

Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is

characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queuing. At a

glance, an obvious solution to the problem would be to increase the capacity either by

widening the existing road or adding additional routes, but according to “Fundamental Law

of Road Congestion” as published in American Economic Review (2011), expansion of road

network actually induces higher individual and commercial driving and it induces more in-

migration, thus increases incoming traffic. Basically, motorists increase their vehicles usage

when more roads are available making it almost impossible to relieve overcrowding by

simply building more roads.

More studies have revealed that instead of expanding the road network which creates

new demands, what is needed is a method to curb these demands. One method is to impose a

toll on drivers for using the roads which is known as Congestion Charging. Nowadays

almost all drivers are hooked up on the GPS system either by a dedicated GPS device or their

smartphones, a study may be conducted to identify the congested areas by tracing people’s

journeys on GPS and charge them accordingly at the congested areas. London has introduced

Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) in 2003 and extended the zone in 2007, as a result it has seen

an improvement in traffic flow by at least 15% during the first month and a reduction of

60,000 vehicles after 6 months, journey times have been reported to be reduced by 14%.

Another method of curbing road traffic demands is by implementing Road Space

Rationing, it is a method of decreasing traffic congestion in a city by limiting the amount of

vehicles allowed in a certain area based on license plate numbers, the restriction applied to

registration plates that end with certain numbers and for specific days, this method is usually

exercised during peak periods in heavily congested city centers. It has been implemented as

early as 1982 in Athens, Greece and has been followed by others like Sao Paolo, Brazil in

1997, Bogota, Colombia in 1998 and it was implemented for the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing with huge success at reported rate of 30% traffic reduction, hence the rationing was

then implemented permanently. However, one drawback is that some families have adopted

multiple cars to get around the restrictions which increase the total congestion due to

additional cars per family.

Another method is to invest in an improved public transit system which includes more

buses, lower fares with attractive payment packages for different audiences e.g. students,

veterans, government servants etc., introduction of cashless payment system e.g.

Touch’N’Go, and more dedicated bus lanes across the city which are protected by the law

enforcers to prevent other vehicles intrusion into the lanes. The construction of Mass Rapid

Transit (MRT) in Malaysia is a wise investment to curb future traffic congestion, it provides

wider coverage of high populated areas than the previous LRT and it has higher passenger

capacity.

A more radical, long term idea to curb traffic congestion is for the urban city planners

to reset their priorities by giving pedestrians and public transit higher consideration over

automobile when planning for a community. For example, typical shopping malls today have

their car park areas placed next to the main street while the malls are placed far back, this is

convenient for the motorists and it has always been the standard pattern in Kuala Lumpur but

it deters people from walking or taking a bus due to the huge distance between the main street

and the mall entrance, instead the planner can place the car park area behind and put the mall

right next to the major streets, people will be encouraged to forego using their car and simply

walk to the mall due to shorter distance. The planner may enclose the whole stretch of street

with shopping mall, this way it will be more convenient and pleasant for shoppers to jump off

a bus and walk to the entrance immediately instead of having to sweat through a massive

parking lot. Urban densification is vital so that non-motorists may traverse from one point to

another shortly, obviously reshaping the existing automobile-centric city will take a long time

so this concept may be used for planning of new development area.

Some other methods for overcoming traffic congestion include introducing Parking

Restrictions to make motor vehicles less desirable by increasing the monetary cost of

parking, upgrading the road infrastructures to alleviate congestion by reducing the frequency

of traffic stopping at intersection i.e. constructing bridges, tunnels and express lanes and

installing Visual Barriers to prevent drivers from slowing down out of curiosity at road

construction sites and especially during road accidents in which traffic slowing down even on

road that is physically separated from the accident location.

.

Question 6a – Stopping Sight Distance

The ability to see ahead is critical for traffic safety and efficient operation of a vehicle on a

highway. Define stopping sight distance (SSD) by outlining the components to be considered

in determining stopping sight distance.

Answer:

Stopping sight distance is defined as the near worst-case distance needed for drivers

to see an object ahead on the roadway in order to have room for safe stop before colliding

with the object. It is the sum of 2 distances:

a) The distance traversed by the vehicle from the instant the driver sights an object

requiring a stop to the instant the brakes are applied. This distance is known as Break

Reaction Distance and the time interval to cover this distance is known as

Perception-Reaction Time (PRT). In formula,

d PRT=0.278∗V∗tr,

Where V=design speed and t r=perception−reactiontime

b) The distance needed to stop the vehicle from the instant brake application begins. The

distance is known as Braking Distance and the time interval is known as Maneuver

Time (MT).

d MT=0.039∗V 2

a

Where V=design speed and a=deceleration rate

Therefore, Stopping Sight Distance=0.278V t r+0.039V 2

a

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) allows 1.5

seconds for Perception time and 1.0 second for Reaction time, thus 2.5 seconds have been

chosen as PRT. In NCHRP Report 400 - Determination of Stopping Sight Distances,

deceleration rate of 3.4 ms-2 has been chosen.

Question 6b – Passing Sight Distance

Passing sight distance is determined for a single vehicle passing a single vehicle with the

assumption that cover majority of situations observed in the real world conditions. The

passing sight distance (PSD) is the passing maneuver of a vehicle, which is in a sum of four

components d1, d2, d3 and d4. Explain with aid of a diagram the different components of a

passing sight distance.

Answer:

Passing Sight Distance (PSD) is the length of roadway that the driver of the passing

vehicle must be able to see to safely and efficiently initiate and complete passing maneuvers

of slower vehicles on two-lane highways using the lane normally reserved for opposing

traffic. AASHTO Green Book (1) has defined PSD as sum of 4 distances:

d1 – Distance traversed during perception – reaction time, and while accelerating to the point

of encroachment on the left lane.    

d2 – Distance traveled while the passing vehicle occupies the left lane

d3 – Distance between the passing vehicle and the opposing vehicle when the passing vehicle

returns to the right lane.

d4 – Distance that the opposing vehicle travels during the final 2/3 of the period when the passing vehicle is in the left lane i.e. 2/3 of d2

In formula:

PSD=d1+d2+d3+d 4

d1=0.278t 1(v−m+a t1

2)

d2=0.278 v t2

d3=30−90 meters

d4=2d2

3

Where:

t 1=time of initialmaneuver

a=average acceleration

v=average speed of passing vehicle

m=difference∈speed between passing∧passed vehicles

t 2=time when passing vehicleoccupies the ¿

Reference List

Question 1:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Transport_(Malaysia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Public_Works_Department

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Highway_Authority

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Road_Transport_Department

www.kkr.gov.my/, www.mot.gov.my/, www.llm.gov.my/

Question 2:

Sale of REAM Publication

http://www.ream.org.my/?q=node/4

Arahan Teknik, Cawangan Jalan

https://www.jkr.gov.my/page/176

Question 3:

Eppell, V.A.T. (Tony) and McClurg, Brett A and Bunker, Jonathan M (2001), A Four Level Road Hierarchy for Network Planning and Management, Proceedings 20th ARRB Conference, Melbourne.

NZ Transit Planning Policy Manual Version 1 Appendix 3A – Road Hierarchy

Road Layout Design – Blueprint for Iskandar Malaysia, 2011, Iskandar Regional Development Area, Skudai: IRDA

Question 4:

RC Agarwal, Advantages and Disadvantages of Road Transport

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/geography/transportation/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-road-transport/42135/

Advantages and Disadvantages of Road Transport

http://eprints.tktk.ee/232/2/advantages_and_disadvantages_of_road_transport.html

Pooja Mehta, Advantages and Disadvantages of Road Transport in India

http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-road-transport-in-india/2191

Marta Jaruzel, Road freight – Advantages and Disadvantages

http://www.chicsha.com/road-freight-advantages-and-disadvantages/

Question 5:

Benjamin Gilles, Overcoming Traffic Congestion, Part 1 and 2

http://www.troymedia.com/2011/08/05/overcoming-traffic-congestion-part-one-reducing-demand/

http://www.troymedia.com/2011/08/11/overcoming-traffic-congestion-part-two-providing-alternatives-to-auto-centrism/

https://miovision.com/blog/road-space-rationing-in-heavily-congested-cities/

https://miovision.com/blog/congestion-charges-effective-traffic-management-tool/

http://www.telogis.com/blog/exclusion-zone-compliance-saves-time-money-and-the-planet

https://miovision.com/blog/urban-congestion-impacts-and-improvements/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_congestion

Question 6a:

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/geometric/pubs/mitigationstrategies/chapter3/3_stopdistance.cfm

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Fundamentals_of_Transportation/Sight_Distance

http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/rdw/sight_distance.htm#CHDCDCCH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_sight_distance

Question 6b:

NCHRP 605 - Passing Sight Distance Criteria, 2008, Transportation Research Board, Washington: NCHRP

http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/niatt_labmanual/chapters/geometricdesign/theoryandconcepts/PassingSightDistance.htm