It doesn’t matter if you’re Malay or Indian and that you don’t celebrate Chinese New Year… all of us will be excited to balik kampung, no matter the occasion!
…and as it has been for years, there’s going to be jams everywhere, especially on the North-South Expressway.
Photo: Google Images
PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) expects highway traffic to increase from 1.7 million cars to over 2 million cars daily during the Chinese New Year festive period.
So, in anticipation of this surge in highway traffic, PLUS is making additional preparations to help its customers enjoy a safe, smooth and comfortable journey among which includes issuing a travel time advisory (TTA) to help Malaysians plan their travel accordingly.
PLUS will halt all non-critical maintenance and repair works from 22 January to 2 February, and place cranes and tow-trucks on standby at strategic locations along the highway in case of emergencies.
To ensure safety and security during this time, PLUS will intensify its collaboration with authorities (Royal Malaysian Police, Fire Department, Ambulance, Malaysian Civil Defense Agency & RELA) and increase the number of volunteers on standby to provide emergency support.
More portable toilets and water tankers will be placed at various locations along the highway, and 70 additional Touch ‘n Go self-service top up kiosks will also be deployed to cater to the increase in the number of travelers on the highway.
According to PLUS Managing Director, Datuk Azman Ismail, PLUS’s mission is to take good care of their customers, with safety and comfort one of their top priorities.
He added, other than making preparations for this peak travel period, PLUS is also issuing a Travel Time Advisory (TTA) so all PLUS customers can make informed decisions as they plan their journeys.
PLUS Chinese New Year's TTA
The PLUS Chinese New Year 2020 TTA recommends for those who are travelling from the Klang Valley to Perlis, Kedah, Penang, North Perak and Johor to enter the highway before 9am, while customers heading to other destinations such as Ipoh, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka are advised to enter the highway after 12pm.
For your return journey back to Kuala Lumpur, PLUS recommends all highway customers to enter the highway before 9am to ensure phased traffic flow from all locations towards the Klang Valley.
Datuk Azman explained that the TTA is developed by PLUS as a guide to distribute traffic and minimize the possibility of traffic converging at critical stretches on the highway which often leads to congestion.
Past trend analysis’ revealed that customers who complied to the TTA enjoyed a smooth driving experience, however travel time will likely to increase by 30% to 80% if customers delay their journey start time.
PLUS highway customers can easily receive latest traffic updates on the highways from the PLUS mobile application, PLUSTrafik Twitter, highway electronic message boards and toll-free PLUSLine 1800 88 0000.
So there you go, plan your journey and have a safe trip! Xin Nian Kuai Le!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
