As the public have a free run of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville expressway from October 1 to 31, people have decided that light vehicles – motorcycles, tuk tuks and bicycles – can use the road, but authorities warned that this is not the case and people breaking the road’s vehicle type regulations will be penalised.Authorities has also noticed that people with motorcycles and tuk tuks are gaining access to the expressway by lifting vehicles over barriers or cutting through nets barring access, which creates a traffic hazard. Ministry of Public Works and Transport spokesman Heang Sotheayuth said yesterday the expressway is for standard and larger vehicles or motorcycles with an engine capacity of 500cc or more as the traffic on the road is faster than on other roads. “Authorities have already announced what vehicle types can use the expressway but some people have ignored the request. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is now working with traffic police who will patrol the expressway and remove any motorcycles and tuk tuks from the road,” Sotheayuth said. He added that police will take legal action against offenders as the public has been made aware of what vehicles can use the expressway in advance. Kampong Speu Provincial Deputy Police Chief in charge of Traffic Brigadier General Tap Lorn said provincial police are patrolling the 80.8-kilometre section of the expressway in the province. “We have caught five people riding their motorcycles on the expressway since it was opened, and we made the offenders sign a contract with traffic police to not repeat the offence as it presents a danger to other vehicles,” Brig Gen Lorn said. He added that from now on traffic police will take legal action against offenders and not make people who break the law sign a contract.AIP Foundation Safe Roads for Life director Kim Panha said yesterday that local people still use the expressway as they like the quality of the road, while others are following old habits as they used to use the road before it became an expressway. “I noted that some people tried to lift their motorcycle onto the road to cross the expressway but barriers make this difficult, instead they try to remove the barrier or cut the net so they can cross the expressway,” Panha said. A possible solution to this problem is that the government or companies construct overpasses or tunnels for local people to gain access to the other side of the expressway and avoid creating hazards on the road, he said.