“RM749 Per Square Meter” – Plans for Glow-in-the-Dark Road Lines Across Malaysia May Be Scrapped

Late last year, the country’s first glow-in-the-dark road markings were installed in Semenyih, Selangor, and Malaysians have been calling for a nationwide installation for road users’ convenience. Not long after, the Johor state government installed a similar thing in Masai.

There were talks about installing the glow-in-the-dark feature on roads nationwide but the Deputy Minister of Works, Ahmad Maslan has an update about the matter.

The government may not proceed with the project due to its high cost

During a Parliament session recently, Ahmad Maslan highlighted the cost of using glow-in-the-dark paint. So, how expensive are we talking about?

“The photoluminescent paint used in this project costs RM749 per square meter, which is 19 times more expensive than conventional road paint, which costs only RM40 per square meter,” Ahmad said in the parliament.

According to Ahmad, the project in several selected areas also did not meet the standards set by the ministry’s experts. The project was carried out in Semenyih, Selangor, involving a stretch of 245 meters between Jalan Sungai Lalang and Jalan Sungai Tekali.

Ahmad said that the Ministry of Works (KKR) will continue with efforts to repaint the white lines on roads to ease road users.

Ahmad also acknowledged that this initiative has gained attention and served as an example for trials in other states like Johor, which identified 31 roads for the same project. Unfortunately, the high costs and unsatisfactory results have led the government to reconsider its implementation.

“We ran tests, but experts in the ministry were not satisfied with the work.”

You can listen to what Ahmad had to say in the Parliamentary video here.

Do you think the government should cease the glow-in-the-dark road lines project?

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