Normal traffic by weekend

PULAU PINANG 21 JULAI 2015 0 - Keadaan trafik di Lebuhraya Utara Selatan dari Sungai Dua ke Juru kelihatan sesak apabila orang ramai mula pulang ke ibu kota selepas bercuti menyambut Hari Raya Aidilfitri ketika tinjauan di Seberang Jaya disini hari ini.Gmabar : AZMAN ASMAYATIMUTUSAN/ KOSMO

PETALING JAYA: Traffic on major highways is expected to be back to normal by the end of the week.

A spokesman for the Malaysian Highway Authority’s traffic management centre said traffic on major highways, especially from the north and the east heading to Kuala Lumpur, was heavy.

“The traffic from the southern side is also building up, but is not as heavy.

“We anticipate traffic to slowly increase towards the evening and taper off after midnight,” he said yesterday.

He added that the pattern was expected until the end of the week when traffic flow would return to normal.

“However, tonight (Tuesday) will be one of the heavier days in anticipation of schools reopening tomorrow (today),” he said.

PLUS Malaysia Bhd assistant duty manager Abdul Halim Ali said traffic flow on their highways was smooth but slow.

“There are more cars today, probably because many will be starting work and school tomorrow.

“We have not received reports of serious incidents and we hope it remains that way,” he said, adding that more cars were travelling to Kuala Lumpur from the northern region than from the south.

Halim said since the travel period had been more spread out this year, traffic movement on most roads would be smooth but slow compared to previous years.

PLUS said that an average of 1.6 million cars moved in and out of the capital city daily during the festive season, especially from July 15 to 20.

Its chief operating officer Mohammad Fuad Khusairi said this represented a 30% increase from the normal traffic volume.

“Normally, our highways see an average of 1.3 million cars moving in and out,” he said, adding that this was because most households in the city had at least three cars.