Malaysia’s highways need to move beyond physical infrastructure and evolve into smarter mobility systems as vehicle numbers continue to climb, with around six million vehicles now estimated to use the highway network daily.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the Ministry of Works (KKR) is accelerating the implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), guided by the Malaysia ITS Roadmap 2030.
The roadmap covers technologies including artificial intelligence, big data analytics, Internet of Things, dynamic lane management, real-time travel information and integrated traffic management centres.
“The goal is clear, to ensure the technology being implemented provides tangible benefits to the people, particularly in terms of safety, smooth traffic flow and travel quality,” he said at the launch of the IJM Toll Group Traffic Control Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Nanta said traffic management centres are at the heart of smart highway operations, bringing together traffic monitoring, incident detection and coordination with relevant agencies.
The Malaysian Highway Authority’s traffic management centre currently monitors highway conditions around the clock through 873 CCTV cameras and 278 Variable Message Signs, helping detect incidents such as accidents, breakdowns, objects on the road, lane closures and unusual congestion earlier.
The need for better systems is also highlighted by accident figures. Based on the Malaysian Highway Road Accident Database System, 26,675 accidents were recorded on tolled highways in 2025, including 839 fatal cases. Human factors accounted for 85.4% of the accidents while vehicle and environmental factors made up the remaining 14.6%.
Nanta also stressed that the shift towards smart highway management will not result in highway patrol personnel losing their jobs.
Instead, the system is expected to strengthen their response capabilities, potentially cutting average response times from more than 15 minutes to between eight and 10 minutes.
On the proposed Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system, Nanta said discussions are still ongoing with almost all highway concessionaires.
He added that he welcomed IJM’s virtual reality highway safety programme for students as an early effort to build road safety awareness and help prevent accidents.
