Mohamad Fazli (right) looking into the situation on Jalan Stulang Darat, near the Eastern Dispersal Link.
THE Johor Public Works Department will carry out traffic impact assessment (TIA) on five major roads in Johor Baru to find medium-term solutions to address congestion.
State works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the TIA would be conducted on Jalan Stulang Laut, Jalan Lingkaran Dalam near the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL), Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Jalan Storey and Jalan Bukit Chagar.
He said this when asked to comment on the congestion along EDL heading towards Johor Baru.
“In the short-term, police are deploying traffic personnel to manage the situation,” he said, adding that the situation was especially bad during weekends and public holidays.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi had also visited the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar to get a first-hand look at the situation.
Onn Hafiz speaking to a passenger during a site visit at CIQ in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Johor Baru.
Mohamad Fazli said ongoing development projects such as the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link and Gemas-Johor Baru Electrified Double Track were among the main reasons for traffic snarls.
“Sometimes, congestion only occurs during a certain period, so we need a holistic solution.
“The number of vehicles can reach up to 100,000 during peak hours and the situation only eases around 3am.”
He said the TIA would look into road safety, structure, number of vehicles and ways to ease congestion.
He noted that construction of the RTS Link had reached 41% and was on track to start operations by end-2026.
“The three main components are the depot, station and marine viaduct, and all are on schedule.
“As at June 30, progress has reached 41%,” he said, adding that the Mentri Besar had also visited the site.
Onn Hafiz, in a statement, said the recent congestion was caused by the huge number of vehicles moving in and out of the Causeway at weekends.
“I would like to thank the police, Customs Department and Rela (Civil Defence) for helping out and ensuring smooth traffic flow,” he said.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said police had allocated eight personnel during normal hours and up to 50 during peak hours to ease congestion since last month.
“We have received a lot of complaints regarding congestion in these five locations, so we hope these short-term solutions will be able to ease traffic flow while waiting for the TIA to be completed,” he said.
The RTS Link is a 4km light rail transit shuttle service between Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Baru and Woodlands North Station in Singapore.
The trains will have the capacity to move 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction for the five-minute journey between both stations.
