Malaysian Expressway System - Facilities On Malaysian Expressways

Facilities On Malaysian Expressways

There are several facilities provided along Malaysian expressway as follows:-

• Rest and Service Area (R&R) - Rest and service areas (RSA) are located roughly about every 60 km along interstate expressways such as the North-South Expressway and the East Coast Expressway. However, some urban expressways may also provide RSA, such as the Shah Alam Expressway, the Damansara-Puchong Expressway and the Guthrie Corridor Expressway. A typical RSA may have a food court, fruit stall, craft shop, public toilets and baths, public telephones, huts (wakaf), petrol stations and prayer rooms (surau) for Muslims. Some RSAs may have ATMs, motels like "Highway Inn", convenience shops such as Highway Mart and 7-Eleven, fast food restaurants and a food court. The wireless broadband internet facility is now available in RSAs; the Tapah RSA in Perak was the first RSA on a Malaysian expressway to provide wireless broadband internet facilities.
• Layby (P) - Laybys are basic parking lots beside the expressways that may also have public toilets and baths, fruit stall, huts (wakaf) and public telephones. However, some laybys may have a few food stalls and petrol stations. Usually, there are about two laybys in between every two RSAs.
• Overhead restaurants (R&R) - Overhead restaurants are special RSAs with restaurants above the expressway. Unlike typical laybys and RSAs which are only accessible in one-way direction only, an overhead restaurant is accessible from both directions of the expressway. Currently, there are 3 overhead bridges in Malaysia - Sungai Buloh (North-South Expressway Northern Route), Ayer Keroh (North-South Expressway Southern Route) and USJ (North-South Expressway Central Link). The PLUS Art Gallery is located in Ayer Keroh Overhead Bridge Restaurant.
• Customer Service Centre (CSC) - Every toll plaza in Malaysia has a customer service centre. This centre includes highway maps, toll fare lists, information counters, Touch 'n Go card reload counters, Touch 'n Go and Smart TAG sales counters and many more.
• Touch ‘n Go Drive-Through Purchase and Refill card lane (POS) (TnG POS) - Touch 'n Go card users can refill existing or purchase new Touch 'n Go cards directly from the lane without the hassle of going to customer service centres. This Touch 'n Go POS lane are available at all expressways on the PLUS Expressway network.
• Vista point (V) - Vista points are special parking areas that allow motorists to see scenic views of the expressway; available only at Senawang (both directions) and Ipoh (northbound only).
• Motorcycle shelter - Motorcycle shelters provide protection and shelter for motorcyclists from heavy rain. Usually, most motorcycle shelters are located below overhead bridges, but some may be special booths.
• Motorcycle lane - In some parts of the whole expressway, there is an additional lane designated for motorcycles. These lanes are usually about half the width of a normal lane on the North-South expressway and are positioned on the extreme left side of the main carriageway in each direction of travel. These special lanes are found in Shah Alam Expressway, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, Federal Highway and Guthrie Corridor Expressway
• Emergency phones - Emergency phones are located every 2 km along interstate expressways; useful if there are breakdowns on the expressway. Attendants from the nearest toll plaza will tow the broken cars to the nearest workshops.
• Tunnel emergency exits (Ventilation/ escape shafts) - Tunnel emergency exits are located every 1 km along expressway tunnels, such as SMART Tunnel, Penchala Tunnel on Sprint Expressway, Menora Tunnel on North-South Expressway and Genting Sempah Tunnel on Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway.
• Highway hotline service - Every expressway has a hotline service.
• Highway patrol unit - Every expressway has a highway patrol unit.
• Highway helicopter patrol unit - This unit is available at all PLUS Expressway networks only.
• Integrated Transport Information System - The Integrated Transport Information System comprises a number of traffic monitoring systems such as Traffic CCTV, Variable Message Systems (VMS) and Vehicles Breakdown Sensors. This system is normally found in the Klang Valley and Johor Bahru.
• Road Transport Department (JPJ) Enforcement Stations - These stations can be found at Karak Expressway and East Coast Expressway. These JPJ enforcement stations have weighing bridges to detect heavy vehicles.
• Police Watch Tower - These towers can be found at all interstate expressways in Malaysia to monitor traffic situations during festive seasons.
• Warning lights - These yellow lights can be found in hazardous and accident areas.
• Automated Enforcement System (AES) - These systems can be found at accident-prone areas and the red-light camera at traffic light junctions.
• Speed Indicator Display (SID) - These systems can be found at the Krinchi Link of the Sprint Expressway to remind drivers in the event they are exceeding the permitted speed limit not to do so.
• Runaway truck ramp - A traffic device that enables vehicles having braking problems to stop safely. These systems are found at mountainous areas such as at nearby Ipoh North Toll Plaza Interchange along the North–South Expressway Northern Route