KUALA LUMPUR: The Fire and Rescue Department will set up emergency response teams at 16 locations on the North-South Expressway under its Hari Raya road safety programme.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the programme, to be held simultaneously with Ops Sikap XX, would run from tomorrow to Sept 27.
“A total of 9,600 firemen will be involved in Raya Ops 2009, 240 of them stationed at the 16 locations and the others on stand-by at fire stations nationwide,” he said yesterday after launching the programme.
He said the department would also have a rescue helicopter patrolling the expressway during the period to provide immediate assistance in the event of accidents.
Other parties involved in Raya Ops 2009 are the police, the Road Transport Department, the Road Safety Department, the Malaysian Highway Authority, the Malaysia Red Crescent Socie- ty and PLUS.
“We hope to reduce road accidents this festive season by reminding road users to be more alert,” Kong said.
Meanwhile, the staggered travel times initiated by PLUS since 2007 has resulted in smoother traffic flow during festive seasons, said PLUS chief executive officer Nik Airina Nik Jaffar.
She said 50% of travellers adopted the schedule during the Chinese New Year season this year for smoother and safer traffic flow, and encouraged the public to follow the Travel Time Advisory (TTA) again for Hari Raya.
Nik Airina said 1.3 million vehicles were expected to use the expressway during the Raya period, 30% higher than on normal days.
Peak traffic was expected on Sept 18, 19, 22 and 23, she told a press conference yesterday.
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