I refer to my earlier letter 'Wearing course' on highway cause of fatal skidding?

On Aug 20, I received a call from one UEM engineer claiming he had ‘investigated’ the issue with Plus officials and Opus (Plus’ consultant) and he claimed Plus and Opus had both confessed that the design mix of the wearing course is of ‘SMA 14mm coarse aggregate’ which is not suitable for highway use!

If that is true, why did Plus persistently deny the problem on one hand and on the other, start the rectification works quietly?

On Aug 16, I drove down to Kuala Lumpur again and I observed that several stretches of the resurfaced highway around Tanjong Malim - which I had claimed to be slippery - had been ‘quietly’ resurfaced again by Plus!

Why should it be rectified if the skid resistance as claimed by Plus was in conformance with international standards?

What on earth is Plus trying to tell us? Why are the tests results not disclosed until today?

If it is claimed to be safe, why did my golf buddy who was driving in the rain on Aug 26 at Tanjong Malim, call to inform me about his witnessing two skidding cars at that particular area?

At the same time, he also felt that the surface was indeed slippery. Another gentleman from KL wrote to me on July 7 saying he witnessed seven skidding accidents in a single day while driving up to Penang. Was that another coincidence?

What about the others who e-mailed photographs of their damaged cars that skidded at Tanjong Malim as well? What does it imply when cars continue to skid?

Although it is commendable of Plus to have taken steps to rectify the problem for the safety of all users, the relevant parties and authorities should have in the first place warned the public at large about the problem.

The issue in contention here is not the shortchanging on the quality of workmanship or the usage of inferior materials or finger-pointing but rather the taking of immediate and effective preventive measures to overcome a deadly problem.

Our North-South Expressway is a tolled highway and the public at large deserves to know what is actually happening.

We demand for immediate intervention before more casualties are reported. Plus must carry out appropriate tests sufficient enough to convince us that the resurfaced highway is safe for use.