Easing access: People walking around the BSI CIQ in Johor Baru. Onn Hafiz says the state government is actively pursuing the reopening of the shortcut to enable pedestrians easier access to BSI.
JOHOR BARU: The public welcomes the state government’s effort to reopen the “shortcut” along the Inner Ring Road, to give pedestrians easier access into the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) here.
They said the shortcut along Hako Hotel, formerly known as Lion City Hotel, will help reduce traffic congestion along Jalan Jim Quee and Jalan Tun Razak, which has worsened due to the construction of the Rapid Transit System (RTS).
Siti Mohd Ali, 45, who has been working in Singapore for the past 10 years, said she is glad that the state government, especially Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi is actively pursuing this matter.
“I live near Taman Seri Setia and if they reopen this access, I will be able to walk to the Malaysian immigration counters within 10 minutes.
“Currently, I have to make a huge detour around the complex which sometimes takes up to 45 minutes,” she said.
K. Siva, 33, who works in Singapore as an animal keeper, said he is able to use the bus lanes in the wee hours of the morning but after 8am, the checkpoint security will not allow people to pass.
“This has been going on for a long time. I hope the authorities will come and see for themselves the amount of people using that access in the early morning as buses drop off their passengers along the road and they walk into the complex via the bus lanes due to congestion,” he added.
He hoped that with proper lighting, signage and speed breakers, people will be able to use this as an alternative route.
For Tan Beng Huat, 25, taking a Grab or taxi to the CIQ complex during peak hours is expensive due to the traffic jams along the road.
“I hope this shortcut will be opened soon as it will help thousands of people avoid using the city roads,” he said, adding that to save money, people living in the nearby areas around the CIQ have started to carpool their taxi or Grab rides.
Meanwhile, Onn Hafiz said the state government is actively pursuing the reopening of the shortcut to enable pedestrians easier access to BSI via the bus lanes.
He said this is among five initiatives raised during a recent meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof during a special meeting to ease congestion along the Johor Causeway.
Onn Hafiz said other initiatives include the implementation of the QR code at all the bus lanes at both checkpoints, enforcement against factory buses that take too many passengers, and revising the shift for immigration officers to improve the efficiency of manual counters.
He said they also hope to replace old infrastructure such as lifts, escalators and travelators to improve checkpoint amenities.
He added that some RM58.07mil has been allocated for the implementation of 16 projects at BSI in Johor Baru and Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ in Second Link.
Onn Hafiz also expressed his gratitude to the Federal government and the related agencies for their commitment in tackling the border congestion issues.
The Star had previously reported that the pedestrian shortcut along the Inner Ring Road should be gazetted as a third entrance into BSI.
Stulang assemblyman Andrew Chen Kah Eng, who was also former chairman of the task force looking into congestion at BSI CIQ, said the shortcut, before it was closed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was used by thousands of travellers.
