PETALING JAYA: Vehicles crawled along major highways as city dwellers made their way back to the Klang Valley after the Deepavali holidays.
The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) in a social media post reported heavy and slow-moving traffic along several stretches of major expressways at 5pm yesterday.
Congestion was further compounded by accidents that blocked emergency lanes at several locations.
On the North-South Expressway (NSE), traffic was slow in the northbound direction from Sungkai to Bidor, Tapah to Gopeng and Bukit Merah to Bandar Baharu.
In the southbound direction, congestion was reported from Alor Setar to Pendang, Sungai Petani Utara to Bertam, Kuala Kangsar to Ipoh, Gopeng to Tapah, Bidor to Sungkai and Tanjung Malim to Sungai Buaya.
Several stretches along the southern section of the NSE were also affected, including Sungai Besi to Universiti Putra Malaysia, Pagoh to Bukit Gambir, Ayer Keroh to Simpang Ampat, Pedas Linggi to Port Dickson, Bandar Ainsdale to Southville City and Bangi to Kajang.
Traffic was slow from Putera Mahkota to Nilai, Port Dickson to Senawang, Ayer Keroh to Jasin, Yong Peng to Ayer Hitam and Simpang Renggam to Kulai.
Slow-moving vehicles were also reported on the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Karak Expressway, from Bukit Tinggi to the Gombak toll plaza, following an accident at KM46.4 on the westbound stretch around 4.30pm.
Another accident reported at KM8.3 of the Penang Bridge westbound, from Perai towards the island, resulted in the closure of the emergency lane.
LLM advised motorists to plan their journeys, remain alert while driving and maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead.
They were also reminded to signal before changing lanes and ensure they had sufficient balance on their debit cards, payment cards or e-wallets before setting off.
An estimated 3.3 million vehicles used major highways nationwide daily during the peak travel period leading up to Deepavali.
