See you in court over AES, RTD tells Selangor

Khalid previously said the RTD’s justifications for the AES were without merit. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 ― Selangor and the Road Transport Department (RTD) appear set to clash in court soon to settle the ongoing row over the controversial Automated Enforcement Sytem (AES) that penalises speeding motorists.

RTD director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan said those who believed the system to be in breach of local council by-laws can take the matter to court, in response to the Selangor government’s move to bar the cameras from being installed in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state.

“We (the RTD) are the people who enforce the law... why would we go against the law? If there is something that’s not right, we will follow.

“But do not say, want to threaten, want to pull out... this is for the good of users, why threaten... what (is their) motive now?” Solah told Sinar Harian Online in a report published today.

He said the RTD will write to the relevant council to get the necessary planning approval permit to install the cameras.

“AES that has been installed will not be pulled out,” he insisted, stressing that dismantling the cameras would be akin to an act of vandalism.

The Selangor government was previously reported to have said it will shut down two AES cameras in the state tomorrow — one located at Kilometre 6.6 on the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) and another located near Jalan Bangi towards Cyberjaya.

The PR state government has barred the roll out of the controversial system to catch speeding motorists in Selangor, saying the move is unlawful.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said last month that the RTD had failed to justify the merits of the traffic system to penalise speedsters.

“From the briefing, the state government found that the Transport Ministry failed to get the approval to construct the structure for the AES from the local authorities.

“Therefore, the state government will direct all PBT to inform the ministry that the installation of AES has not followed the law and will not be implemented until this matter is amended,” he said in a statement on November 9, using the Malay initials PBT for “pihak berkuasa tempatan”, to refer to the local councils.

He added that the state government will appoint an independent body to study the system first to see if the Transport Ministry had considered all necessary procedures before deciding to introduce the AES.