Two-month trial run for CIQ shortcut

JOHOR BARU: The Cabinet has approved the Johor government’s proposal to open up a third route for pedestrians into the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) for a trial period of two months, said state executive councillor Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.

The Johor works, transportation, infrastructure and communication committee chairman said the third path, a shortcut near Hako Hotel, was among matters the state government raised during a recent meeting of the Cabinet committee on traffic congestion and road safety.

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“They (the Cabinet committee) gave the green light to carry out a dry run for about two months. We will start this and see if there are any problems.

“If everything is okay, we will bring up the matter again to the Cabinet to get approval for the route to be gazetted as official access to get to the BSI,” he said in an interview.

The other two access routes to the BSI are along Jalan Jim Quee and Jalan Tun Razak.

Mohamad Fazli said the dry run is expected to start in the coming weeks.

“I will make a final presentation to Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi sometime this week. Once he gives the go-ahead, we will start making the necessary preparations.

“We may need about two to three weeks to get everything prepared before starting the dry run,” he said, adding that an official announcement would be made once the trial run begins.

If the access route is gazetted, he said the shortcut would be the first official route for pedestrians to get to the BSI CIQ directly.

“There are currently no direct routes to the BSI. The two entrances along Jalan Jim Quee and Jalan Tun Razak allow people to get to the CIQ through JB Sentral.

“If this shortcut is to be gazetted, people would then have direct access to the CIQ without having to go through JB Sentral.”

However, he said there are several important steps that must be taken before gazetting the route after getting approval from the Cabinet.

“This includes reducing the maximum speed limit in the area, synchronising traffic lights and providing zebra crossings,” he said.

The Star previously highlighted that pedestrians, including pregnant women and senior citizens, had asked for the shortcut to be reopened.

The shortcut, which was situated near Hako Hotel along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam here, had made it easier for them to walk to the CIQ complex.

However, the Home Ministry closed off the shortcut during the Covid-19 pandemic for security reasons.

This forced pedestrians to walk about 1.5km around the building to enter the immigration clearance area.

In January, Mohamad Fazli told The Star that the state government was considering reopening the shortcut and had asked the Johor Public Transport Corporation (PAJ) and Johor Baru City Council to develop a plan for its reopening.Back then, he asked the public to give their suggestions about the matter to him via Facebook.

“I received so many comments about the shortcut.

“Some even sent me their suggestions through private messages on the same social media platform while others emailed me.

“The management of one of the apartments near the area also submitted an official email to me.

“I did not expect to get so many reactions.

“The PAJ also carried out a survey and found that more than 10,000 people had used the shortcut before it was closed,” said Mohamad Fazli.