SIBU: The Sarawak Transport Ministry will upgrade traffic parks across the state as part of efforts to strengthen practical road safety education among school students.
State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said the six existing traffic parks located in Sibu, Kuching, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Bintulu and Miri have received special allocations to ensure these facilities continue to serve as safe and impactful learning spaces.
He said the Rejang Park Traffic Garden here, built over 30 years ago, has been allocated RM350,000 for upgrading works, in line with the ministry’s broader effort to restore and strengthen road safety education.
“Upgrading these facilities is important so that students can learn and understand traffic rules through real-life experiences that simulate actual road situations,” he said when opening the Sarawak Traffic Games (STG) here today.
Lee also announced that the ministry plans to increase the number of traffic parks under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), to ensure that every division in Sarawak has at least one fully equipped and functioning traffic park.
“We are committed to expanding access to road safety education for more students and rural communities, so that no group is left behind in the effort to nurture responsible road users,” he said.
Tracing the programme’s history, Lee said the Shell Traffic Games, introduced in 1963 through a collaboration between the Sarawak government and Shell Malaysia, had once made a significant impact on public awareness of road safety before being discontinued in 2015.
He said the programme was revived and rebranded as the Sarawak Traffic Games last year, beginning in Miri, and has since become an annual event benefiting students throughout the state.
He said that the next editions of STG are scheduled to be held in Sri Aman and Bintulu by the end of this year, while today’s programme in Sibu involved students from nine primary and secondary schools in the district.
– Bernama
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