PETALING JAYA: The balik kampung exodus from the Klang Valley is expected to peak on Friday ahead of the Chinese New Year super weekend and start of Ramadan, creating one of the heaviest traffic movements of the year.
“The peak days apply to travel during the festive period, especially for outbound journeys from the Klang Valley and inbound travel back,” said PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS), with Friday to be one of the official peak days.
The overlap of the Chinese New Year and start of the month of Ramadan is expected to intensify at both outbound and return traffic flows, with Muslims also beginning early balik kampung journeys as Ramadan approaches.
PLUS said travel timing will be the key factor to determining the travel experience during the festive period, reminding that motorists who travel outside recommended time windows were likely to face significantly longer delays.
“Traffic data from the previous festive season showed that drivers who followed MyPLUS-Travel Time Advisory (MyPLUS-TTA) schedules saved 30 minutes to one hour, while those travelling outside the recommended time slots experienced delays of up to three additional hours.
“This shows how greatly journey times are influenced by travel timing,” it said.
Motorists, it added, should plan their trips in advance and avoid peak congestion windows.
“Traffic management measures, including Smart Lane activations at strategic locations, will be deployed to help manage congestion and smooth traffic flow during peak periods.
“Highway users are strongly encouraged to plan their journeys and fully utilise the MyPLUS-TTA digital travel schedule to ensure smoother traffic movement,” it said.
PLUS said the return-to-Klang Valley flow was expected to build from Feb 20 and 21, as festive travellers head back to the capital with Ramadan travel continuing to gain momentum.
