BUTTERWORTH: What would normally have been a five-hour drive from Seremban to Alor Setar took about 15 hours during the long weekend holiday rush.
A computer analyst, who wanted to be known only as Ali, described his family’s balik kampung journey as exhausting.
“We began our journey at about 10am on Friday and thought we could escape the congestion but instead, we got caught right in it,” he said.
Ali said he had to stop several times at rest areas to refresh himself and calm down his children because they were getting restless in the car. He said he and his wife took turns driving and they reached his mother’s house in Alor Setar at 1am yesterday.
He added that traffic was particularly slow at areas such as Bidor, Kuala Kangsar, Sungai Dua and Sungai Petani.
On top of tomorrow being Malaysia Day and Maulidur Rasul, the school holidays are here, leading to many families returning to their hometowns or just going on holiday.
Penang police’s Traffic and Public Order Department gave its assurance that although traffic was extra heavy on the expressway, the flow remained under control.
At the two national entry points in Kedah, traffic was also heavy with Malaysians heading to Thailand for the school holidays.
Kedah Immigration Department director Mohd Ridzzuan Mohd Zain said 30,754 travellers had passed through Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex as of yesterday afternoon.
“Malaysian travellers are making Hatyai a popular destination, known as a food paradise offering cheap and delicious dishes,” he said.
He said the popularity of Hatyai among Malaysian tourists has contributed to the surge in visitors during this holiday season.
The department opened extra counters to cater to the flow of people and Mohd Ridzzuan said traffic enforcement was heightened on major roads leading to the border to reduce congestion and ensure smooth travel.
“Plan your trips in advance, monitor traffic updates through official channels and choose suitable travel times to reduce the risk of being caught in bad jams.
“Tourists are reminded to ensure that their travel documents are valid and complete to avoid any difficulties at the border,” he said.
Kota Putra ICQS Immigration chief Shafarina Othman reported that the number of tourists crossing the border has increased by nearly 40% compared with normal days.
“Normally, 400 to 600 visitors use Kota Putra ICQS daily, but yesterday, the number surged to 1,868,” she said.
