Anthony Loke Wants To End JPJ Roadblocks With ANPR Tech

By Danial Martinus • 29 Jan 2026 in News

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(source: JPJ / Facebook & New Straits Times)

Picture this: you’re in your car, crawling along a highway, inching forward at a snail’s pace, only to realise there’s a JPJ roadblock slowing everyone to a halt up ahead. You’re definitely not alone, and Transport Minister Anthony Loke knows it.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Loke made a clear case for retiring physical roadblocks that choke up traffic and replacing them with something far more efficient: automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology.

Roadblocks create bottlenecks that waste precious time and resources

According to Loke, there’s just one problem with roadblocks. They’re inefficient. Stopping vehicles en masse creates narrow bottlenecks that waste a lot of time, and end up testing drivers’ patience, especially when conducted at odd hours.

Loke proposed a “new paradigm” around ANPR technology, which allows vehicles to be checked without even being pulled over. It’s not such a far-fetched idea, considering the fact that highway operators like PLUS already use it for toll payment collection.

(source: PLUS Malaysia / New Straits Times)

In terms of implementation, Loke believes ANPR can easily be integrated into JPJ’s MySIKAP database, which can then use toll booth cameras as enforcement tools.

“By integrating with JPJ, the system becomes far more effective, not only for toll collection but also for enforcement. Once a vehicle enters the highway, its registration number can be checked against JPJ’s MySIKAP system,” Loke says.

“Automatically, we will know whether the road tax is valid, whether the vehicle is insured, and whether it is a cloned or stolen vehicle.”

And once these systems are up, he argues there would be little justification for JPJ to keep setting up physical roadblocks at all. This new idea is pretty much in line with Loke’s broader push to make Malaysia’s digital transport systems less of a headache for everyday users.

At the end of the day, digital platforms should be straightforward and inclusive.

“The public should not be required to complete lengthy forms, download multiple applications, or go through complicated verification processes. Instead, they should only need a single, accessible, and trusted digital identity,” he said.