Penang expects more visitors for New Year

GEORGE TOWN: The number of out-of-state vehicles coming in to Penang is expected to balloon by 40% starting New Year’s Eve today and the weekend.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Soffian Santong said the police would work together with PLUS Malaysia Bhd to get the exact number of vehicles heading towards the northern part of the country.

“Based on the period during past festivities, the state police expect an increase of 40% in vehicles from outside the state starting tomorrow (today) and the weekend.

“With the festival period and school holidays, we expect many vehicles in Penang, especially in tourist attraction areas.

“I would like to advise motorists to always comply with traffic rules and to not park your vehicles at the side of the road, which can cause traffic jams,” he said during a press conference at the state police contingent headquarters here yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of state police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, ACP Soffian said some 146 officers and 821 personnel from the state police contingent would be deployed in an integrated operation to ensure police omnipresence in maintaining public order on New Year’s Eve.

He said police would ensure smooth traffic flow during the operation by having personnel posted at several tourist hotspots.

“The integrated operation will involve all departments in the state police contingent that will also be joined by agencies such as the Penang Island City Council, Seberang Prai City Council and state Health Department.

“It will involve roadblocks, all elements of crime prevention ops, standard operating procedure compliance monitoring and traffic controls,” he said.