THE Road Transport Department (RTD) has frozen leave for its 2,500 enforcement officers nationwide due to assignments during the special enforcement period in conjunction with Chinese New Year starting from Tuesday until February 8.

RTD deputy director-general (Planning and Operations) Aedy Fadly Ramli said it was to ensure full focus for a smooth safety operation for road users.

“All RTD enforcement officers nationwide, including 118 in Negri Sembilan, were mobilised for the operation as traffic flow is expected to increase by more than 100%.

“This is because the public is allowed to return to hometowns this year, hence increasing vehicle movement on roads and highways,” he told reporters.

In the meantime, he said RTD has also implemented the Goods Vehicles Driving Prohibition Order, which will take effect two days before and two days after the lunar new year celebration.

Aedy said the ban was to reduce the risk of road accidents due to higher traffic flow of heavy vehicles and light vehicles as well as avoid traffic congestion during the festive period.

“We call on all road users nationwide to drive prudently and abide by the highway code,” he said. – Bernama, January 29, 2022.