KUALA LUMPUR: The “balik kampung” exodus in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidiladha celebration is expected to see a drastic increase in traffic volume along the North-South Expressway (NSE) as an estimated two million vehicles are expected to ply the route until Thursday (June 29).
PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) senior general manager (operations) Mohd Yusuf Abdul Aziz said the highway concessionaire would be issuing a “travel time advisory” for road users, planning to travel on the expressway starting tomorrow till July 2.
“We urge road users to plan their travel time based on the advisory when not only leaving to their respective destinations, but also when they return from their hometowns after the festival.
“However, traffic flow will also depend on incidents like accidents and other unexpected occurrences along the expressway,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Yusuf also said PLUS would activate its “SmartLane” at five locations along its expressways to help alleviate traffic congestion.
The stretches are between Port Dickson Interchange to Seremban Interchange between kilometre (km) 260.0 to KM263.1 northbound and Senai Utara Interchange to Kulai Interchange between KM19.0 to KM27.0 northbound.
Other locations include the Gua Tempurung to Gopeng stretch (KM306.7 to KM297.0 – Northbound), the Slim River to Sungkai stretch (KM367.3 to KM354.1 – Northbound), and the Rawang Rest and Service Area – Sungai Buaya Interchange (KM439.9 to KM435.5 – Northbound).
“At these SmartLane locations, highway users will be allowed to temporarily enter and drive on the emergency lane before being directed back to the main lanes to continue their journey,” said Mohd Yusuf.
Based on the advisory, for travel from tomorrow till Thursday, road users from the Klang Valley heading to Perak (Kuala Kangsar-Bukit Merah), Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Johor are advised to enter the expressway before 10am.
Meanwhile, those travelling to nearer destinations like Perak (Tanjung Malim-Ipoh), Negri Sembilan and Melaka are advised to enter the expressway between noon and 3pm.
For the return journey to Klang Valley from June 30 to July 2, road users from Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor are advised to enter the expressway before 10am.
Apart from the advisory, road users are urged to use the PLUS Application, Waze or Google Map for the latest traffic reports.
Road users can also obtain information about traffic status through Twitter @PLUSTrafik, PLUS Application, Chatbot PUTRI, electronic Vehicle Message Sign (VMS) at selected locations or by monitoring traffic reports on main radio channels.
Keyword: Two million vehicles expected on NSE for Aidiladha