Works Ministry Disagrees With Global Study Ranking M'sian Roads 12th Worst In The World
The study also ranked Malaysian roads as the second most dangerous in the world.
By Aqasha Nalani — 05 Oct 2022, 12:54 PM
Research conducted by an international online drivers' education firm, Zutobi, ranked Malaysian roads as the 12th worst in the world
"The road quality score is calculated using four factors, which include road quality, improvements in road quality, road deaths, and the relative size of the road network," it said.
According to the study, Malaysian roads in 2022 only received a total score of 3.32 out of ten, dropping from 5.3 recorded in 2019.
Based on the data, the quality of Malaysian roads in the past five years has dropped by 5.19%.
The study also found that Malaysian roads are the second deadliest in the world
"Malaysia's highways have seen more than 22 road traffic fatalities per 100,000 people, ranking second only to Saudi Arabia in terms of road traffic fatalities," it said.
Kuwait was first on the list of countries with the worst roads in the world, followed by Costa Rica, Georgia, Panama, and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's neighbour, Singapore, was ranked best in the world in terms of road quality
"Singapore has by far the highest overall road score, as it is the only nation to score higher than 9/10. It has the best road quality and the fewest road traffic deaths, 1.69 per 100,000 people," it said.
The Ministry of Works (KKR), however, disagreed with Zutobi's findings
According to a statement released by the ministry yesterday, 4 October, the article is inaccurate, misleading, and paints a negative picture of Malaysia's overall road quality, reported theSundaily.
KKR also highlighted a recent report by The Global Economy that placed Malaysia 21st in the world for best road quality, surpassing Australia, UK, and New Zealand. The ministry added that the rankings was based on a reliable source, using data from the Global Competitiveness Index.
The statement went on to read, "The study also cited authentic sources from an executive study involving 14,000 business leaders from 144 countries who participated in the World Economic Forum based in Davos, Switzerland,"
KKR also stated that it always pays close attention to all published research reports as a check and balance method to ensure that people receive the best services possible
"KKR has a number of ongoing commitments, particularly in terms of maintaining the country's road quality. These maintenance efforts are concentrated on federal roads, which total 20,017 kilometres," it said.
“KKR also received over RM900,000 in road maintenance costs across the country. As of August, there have been 6,656 pothole repairs."
The ministry also stated that it has been focusing on continuous efforts to maintain road quality since 2016 through the Zeropotholes campaign and the Kita Jaga Jalan Kita Campaign, which launched in November 2021.
