In the ongoing debate about the increase in toll rates, we seem to have forgotten about federal, state and municipal roads that have been built with taxpayers' money but are now left in a state of disrepair.

For example, take the road going up the hill into Bangsar from Jalan Semantan and the Sprint Highway. It used to be such a good road. Now its full of potholes, uneven patches and spilled gravel and cement mix that not only make driving unpleasant but is also hazardous for motorcyclist and other motorists.

Why are the enforcement officers not summoning the drivers of vehicles that are damaging the road? Why have the contractors responsible not been asked to repair the road? Since we are paying road tax and toll rates as usual, surely we cannot be expected to use bad roads?

It is not only there. At Hartamas, some roads appears to look like our Royal Malaysian Air Force has just had them for their bombing exercise. Who is going to pay for the damage to my suspension and tyres and all?

I fully agree that death on roads must be cut down drastically and it is essential that this is done. However, we must not be blinded of the fact that some of our roads are not really well- constructed and this is not merely confined to state roads alone. If you look at the LDP and Elite highways, there are many bends and uneven roads that can trap motorists.

In fact to me, the best road in Malaysia is the Federal Highway which is extremely well- constructed and generally well-maintained and in good condition too. So there is no reason why tolled roads cannot be maintained at such standards.

While the majority of blame for accidents and death on roads should be attributed to careless and reckless driving, we must also not underestimate the fact that bad roads, potholes, uneven patches and badly constructed roads also share a role in contributing to these deaths.