KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) anticipates a surge in traffic, to 2.77 million vehicles per day on major expressways, during the upcoming Aidilfitri holiday.
LLM, in a statement on Thursday (March 27), said that an estimated 2.1 million vehicles will use expressways under PLUS Group, followed by 216,000 on the KL-Karak Expressway (KLK); 176,000 on the West Coast Expressway (WCE); 156,000 on the East Coast Expressway 1 (LPT1), and 70,000 on LPT2, during peak days of the Aidilfitri festive period.
It said that traffic departing the capital towards the east coast, northern, and southern regions is expected to surge, starting Thursday, factoring in the EducationMinistry's additional school holidays from April 2 to 4. Meanwhile, return traffic to the capital is anticipated to peak on April 5 and 6.
To ease congestion during the festive season, LLM has implemented several measures, including prohibiting highway lane closures by concessionaires, except for emergency works, from March 24 to April 7.
Additionally, smart lanes have been activated at 28 identified locations along the PLUS Expressway. Motorists travelling through these areas can utilise the emergency lanes as an alternative route during congestion and are advised to adhere to the provided traffic signs.
"It is hoped that motorcyclists remain vigilant while riding and take note of the activation of smart lanes in designated areas. Additionally, 472 motorcycle shelter locations have been made available along the highway.
LLM also urged major concessionaires to ensure that the toll collection system operates smoothly and that highways remain in optimal condition throughout the period.
It added that various facilities, including parking spaces and temporary mobile toilets, have been made available to accommodate users' needs. Additionally, in collaboration with petrol station operators, efforts have been made to ensure sufficient fuel supply for the convenience of motorists.
The prohibition on goods vehicles would also be enforced from March 29 to 30 and April 5 to 6, aiming to ease traffic congestion on the nation's major expressways.
Motorists are encouraged to plan their journeys, using the MyPLUS-TTA application for travelling along the PLUS Expressway, while motorists plying KLK and LPT1 are advised to use the Travel Time Advisory (TTA) by AFA Prime.
Real-time traffic updates or incident reports can be obtained from LLM's official social media channels, or contact the LLM Traffic Management Centre at 1-800-88-7752, which operates 24 hours a day from March 28 to April 6. – Bernama
