He noted that road users face a high risk of accidents and fatalities every time they use damaged roads, especially motorcyclists.

“Although it’s supposed to be a motorcycle lane, many of them have potholes,” he said when asked about how road damage affects road users like him.

“It’s dangerous for motorcyclists. Motorcycles only have two tires, right? A slight mistake can lead to an accident. The risk is high,” he told FMT.

The issue of damaged roads has been frequently raised by road users due to the discomfort, property damage, and potential for fatal accidents that it causes.

Many have also questioned why damaged roads are not repaired or maintained promptly by the authorities.

Mohd Nahar Abdul Kassim, 29, said he feels frustrated at the situation as damaged roads are very dangerous for motorcyclists and car drivers.

“I do not know where or to whom should I file a complaint about damaged roads. As a trader myself, I don’t have time to file a complaint,” he said

Roads in Malaysia have many classifications and owners.

Federal roads are managed by the works ministry through the public works department (JKR), while state and municipal roads are managed by state and local authorities, which are under the housing and local government ministry.

There are also roads that belong to and managed by the rural and regional development ministry, especially in villages.

In August 2023, the works ministry launched the MyJalan app to facilitate the reporting of any road damage, non-functioning street lights, landslides, flooding, and more. The app also allows a road user to send pictures and provide GPS location.

MyJalan receives all kinds of reports on the condition of roads. Under the “No Wrong Door” policy, these reports are forwarded to the works ministry, state government, or local government authority for further action.

An auditor, Mohd Farid Azim, 26, said he used to blame the federal government for poor roads before finding out that roads in the country are maintained by different entities.

“Previously, if we came across a damaged road, we would often blame the government. But in reality, not all roads fall under the works ministry. We just didn’t know,” he said.

“With the MyJalan initiative, complaints will reach the authorities, and at the same time, we can protect motorcyclists and prevent cars from being damaged by potholes.”

Homemaker Fazilah Yusof, 40, who has filed several complaints through the MyJalan app, said it was a good tool to report damaged roads.

“Maybe through our complaints, we can save a life. Reporting on the MyJalan app could reduce the risk of accidents,” she said.

Mohd Hadri, 23, also praised MyJalan for allowing citizens to be the government’s eyes and ears without having to visit counters to make complaints.

“Everything is just at your fingertips,” the petrol station worker said.

“There is no need to go to the works ministry’s offices. Just file a complaint through MyJalan. It makes things easier for all Malaysians.”

From August 2023 to July 2024, there were 17,157 complaints submitted by road users through the MyJalan app.

Of these, 5,178 complaints involved roads maintained by JKR and the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), while the remaining 11,979 complaints involved state, municipal, and other roads.

The same statistics show that 40.50% of the complaints were about potholes, 17.79% about road damage, 16.18% about street lights, 10.33% about traffic lights, and others.