Long lines: People buying tickets ahead of the Christmas holidays at Terminal Bus Bersepadu Selatan. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Traffic began building up across major highways nationwide from noon on Christmas Eve, with PLUS Malaysia Bhd reporting multiple disruptions caused by vehicle breakdowns, accidents and ongoing diversion works.
Heavy congestion was also reported along the Sungai Besi Highway and surrounding roads near the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, with traffic slowing significantly due to increased vehicle volume and bus passenger activity in the evening of the festive travel period.
When contacted yesterday, the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) said overall traffic flow during the Christmas festive period this year has largely been in line with projections, with actual traffic volume reaching 96% of earlier estimates.
The senior assistant director, traffic management centre (TMC) of LLM, Ahmad Kamil Abdul Halim, said data recorded on Dec 23 showed a total of 2,302,842 vehicles on highways nationwide, compared with the authority’s earlier projection of 2,390,866.
He said the two-day toll discount and activation of Smart Lanes have had a significant impact in managing traffic flow during the Christmas holiday.
“Limiting the toll discount period encouraged motorists to plan their journeys better, which helped spread traffic movement and prevent all vehicles from converging on highways at the same time,” he said, adding that the activation of Smart Lanes has increased highway capacity, shortened travel times and reduced the impact of severe congestion during festive seasons.
Ahmad Kamil added that despite these efforts, several highways continued to experience heavy congestion, a recurring trend during festive seasons.
“Among the most congested routes were the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway, particularly near the Gombak Toll Plaza and after the Genting Sempah Tunnel; the North-South Expressway, especially the Menora-Kuala Kangsar stretch in Perak, along with the Slim River to Sungkai section; as well as the Elite Highway.
“To improve traffic conditions for future festive periods, Ahmad Kamil said LLM has intensified efforts to promote compliance with the Travel Time Advisory to better distribute traffic flow
Motorists can obtain real-time traffic updates via the TuJu LLM application, the PLUS app, Variable Message Signs, radio broadcasts and official PLUS traffic channels.
For emergencies, highway users may contact PLUSLine at 1800-88-0000 or LPT2Line at 1800-88-0220 at any time.
