Johor to decide if special lane needed at land crossings for by-elections

JOHOR BARU: A meeting will be held with the Immigration Department soon to discuss traffic flow at the Causeway and Second Link during the upcoming by-elections, says a Johor exco member.

Works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the meeting would decide on whether or not there was a need for special lanes at the two land crossings during the by-elections.

"We will need to see if there is a need to provide special lanes for those coming back to vote in Pulai and Simpang Jeram.

"During the recent elections involving the six states, we did not see any congestion out of the ordinary at the Causeway or Second Link.

"Malaysians working in Singapore who are involved in the elections made their way back to their respective hometowns earlier. Hence, there was no need for any special measure," he told The Star on Thursday (Aug 24).

He said that during the 15th General Election last year, the state government dedicated several special car lanes for those returning from Singapore to vote.

"If there is a need, we may take a similar step for this election as well. However, we need to assess the situation first," he said.

Polling day for the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections falls on Sept 9, which coincides with school holidays in Singapore.

Nomination day has been set for Saturday (Aug 26) while early voting was on Sept 5.

The election was called following the death of Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was the representative for both seats.

Salahuddin was Amanah deputy president and had served as domestic trade and cost of living minister.

He died on July 23 due to a brain haemorrhage at the age of 61.