PETALING JAYA: The “balik bandar” rush is gathering steam as festive holidaymakers hit the highways to prepare for work in the week ahead.
Traffic snarls are expected along the major routes this weekend, with the start of Ramadan also contributing to the congestion.
Siti Nor Raiha Mustaffa, who drove back to her hometown in Muar, Johor, said she wanted to welcome the start of Ramadan with her family.
She plans to return to Putrajaya tonight.
“I chose Saturday night as I expect traffic to be lighter compared with Sunday, as school resumes on Monday,” she said, adding that school and work commitments influenced her decision to return earlier.
Anticipating congestion, she said travelling at night would make the journey more manageable for her.
Department manager Lex Lai said he planned to travel home to Puchong a day earlier to avoid the expected heavy traffic.
The 35-year-old said he went back to his hometown in Melaka on the second day of Chinese New Year to avoid traffic.
“I really do not want to risk getting caught in heavy traffic. I just hope that not many others have the same idea as me!” said Lai.
He said as an extra precaution, he spent RM800 to service his car for the return journey.
“I’ll also refuelled earlier so I won’t have to waste time doing it on the way back,” he added.
Civil engineer Khairun Nadia, 26, travelled to Kepala Batas, Penang to observe the start of Ramadan with her family.
“I had not been able to go back for the start of the fasting month for quite some time, so this year I made sure of it,” she added.
Khairun said she planned to drive back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to spend more time with her family.
Having travelled to her hometown in Sungai Petani, Kedah for Chinese New Year, Abby Lee, 33, said she planned to begin her return journey to Sepang by mid-afternoon today.
“I plan to start at around 3pm or 4pm as I’m expecting most people to have left in the morning.
“I expect many to stay back for dinner with their relatives and leave on Sunday, too,” said the operations manager, who will conduct a final check on her car before the long-haul drive back.
