Commuter Fadli Abd Aziz, who drives to Nilai’s Batang Benar KTM station before catching a train into Kuala Lumpur, says traffic woes will directly shape his choice at the ballot box.
“I have lived here for many years, and being stuck in traffic congestion is very tiring and challenging. I hope whoever takes over the Negri Sembilan state administration will solve this problem,” he said.
“So far, I have not seen many parties commenting on traffic congestion.”
Aizat Raus, who leaves home between 5.30am and 6am to catch a train from the Seremban railway station, said the issue was sensitive locally.
“It will certainly influence my choice. I often discuss traffic congestion with my neighbours here, who face the same challenges,” he said.
“I cannot even recall when a party last raised solving the traffic congestion issue.”
Long off-peak waits and technical delays – sometimes stretching up to an hour – often left driving as Aizat’s only option, forcing him to spend more on tolls, petrol and city parking.
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Aizat said a more holistic approach is needed, which includes widening older roads, recalibrating traffic light timings, and deploying traffic police during congested hours.
Transport featured prominently in the Johor election on July 11, where Pakatan Harapan candidates in Greater Johor Baru campaigned on the daily crawl at the two land crossings into Singapore, alongside flood management and public transport issues.
About 400,000 Malaysians commute daily across the Causeway and Second Link to work in Singapore, and Johoreans constitute about 38%.
During the Johor polls campaign, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a joint digital immigration system with Singapore, due to launch next January, in response to a question about cutting waiting times for Malaysians who commute daily to work there.
In Bahau, residents said better road links to the Klang Valley and improved public transport are among their priorities for the next state government.
Telecommunications executive Vijaya Letchumy, 45, who works in Cyberjaya, travels home to Bahau about twice a month. The drive usually takes about two hours, but congestion during holidays, accidents and the election period can stretch it to four.
“I really hope there can be a proper highway so we can travel to the Klang Valley easily,” said the Bahau native.
“The roads are narrow, mostly two-way village roads, and there is no alternative route that is any better.”
A manicurist who only wanted to be known as May, 25, said her family had never taken the train to Kuala Lumpur because they would first have to drive to Seremban or Gemas to board a service.
“It takes longer because you have to wait for the train, so we always drive instead,” said May, who also resides in Bahau.
“A highway connecting this part of Negri Sembilan with the Klang Valley would make travelling much easier and encourage us to visit more often.”
Student Syafiqah Ghazali, 22, advocates for an increase in services between Seremban and Kuala Lumpur.
She also called for more schools to be built to ease overcrowding in classrooms, saying both transport and education infrastructure should be strengthened to serve the state’s growing population.
For those without a station within reach, the car is the only choice.
Communications manager A. Razif, 37, moved from Kuala Lumpur to Lenggeng about five years ago, drawn by the price of landed property, and rides a motorbike nearly 60km to work each day.
“Living almost 60km away from your office and having to endure an hour’s journey daily can seem unbearable, but when you compare it against housing prices in the capital and traffic congestion, it adds up to almost the same,” he said.
A corporate human resources executive who wanted to be known only as Jas, 29, is required in the office twice a week and drives in on those days.
“Leaving the house at 5am has become a norm for those days, just to beat the traffic,” he said.
“Going to the office is one thing but returning home is another. Most of the time, I just wait till about 9pm before driving back, as the traffic is relatively smoother then.”
