Main image via The Sun Daily
Chinese New Year is fast approaching and we’re ready for food, family, yee sang, oranges, ang pows and more! The one thing we’re not ready for however is, traffic.
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As everyone makes their way to their hometowns this festive season, there’s bound to be heavy traffic. Fortunately, PLUS Malaysia BHD managing director, Datuk Azman Ismail, has good news that will help drivers everywhere.
Image via The Star
Datuk Azman stated that to help with traffic flow, emergency lanes at two locations will be open to ensure smooth traffic.
“We have discussed with police to open the emergency lanes on these two critical routes in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration,” he said at a recent press conference.
“They gave us the green light to do so as this will ease traffic as well as reduce road accidents,” he continued.
Image via The Star
The emergency lanes that will be opened are:
- 1st to 4th February: Slim River to Sungkai (north)
- 9th to 10th February: Simpang Pulai to Gopeng (south)
On top of opening these emergency lanes, Datuk Azman also stated that road assistance will be on standby.
“Policemen, PLUS patrol team, emergency response team and tow trucks will be on standby at the two locations,” he said.
He added, “Signboards will be placed at the beginning of the routes to indicate that road users are allowed to use the emergency lanes.”
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Drivers are advised to start their journeys early in order to avoid being stuck in massive traffic jams.
According to the managing director, the best times to travel on the North-South Expressway was before 10am for Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Johor from 31st January to 10th February. For other states, the best time is after 10am.
5,000 highway personnel will also be on standby to assist road users.
Image via PLUSRonda
What’s more?
“Road works will stop temporarily between Feb 1 and 10,” he said. “The Touch ‘N Go reload lanes at the toll plazas will be closed between Jan 31 and Feb 11 for a smoother passage for traffic.”
So this Chinese New Year, plan ahead for a smoother drive and don’t forget to top up your card before you travel!
Info via New Straits Times