KUALA LUMPUR: Plus Malaysia Bhd is expecting massive congestion on the North-South Expressway (NSE), with an estimated 1.9 million vehicles today and Sunday following the end of the long Chinese New Year holiday.
The figure is an estimated 24 per cent increase from the 1.5 million vehicles on the NSE on any given day.
Providing tips as to areas which will see congestion, the highway concessionaire said any area which was normally jammed up on any given day would be even more so.
It said areas where there are slopes will also see greater congestion as vehicles would slow down.
From the north, the congestion tends to hit Perak first, at the Changkat Jering to Kuala Kangsar stretch, followed by the Sungai Perak-Menora Tunnel stretch, all the way to Ipoh.
The middle section of the jam in this festive period of CNY tends to start from Ipoh onwards. The stretch from Simpang Pulai to Gopeng is usually heavy because of a bottleneck as traffic flows into the main highway.
Other jam-prone stretches are Gopeng-Tapah, Bidor-Sungkai, Sungkai-Slim River, and Bukit Beruntung-Rawang.
Plus advised drivers to note these congested stretches and if possible, time their travel accordingly.
A Plus spokesman said most jams during this period roughly start around 10am-11am onwards and thus, travelers are advised to manage their travel time around the peak period.
Drivers can look up the Plus travel advisory on travel times by visiting their twitter feed at https://twitter.com/plus2u/media as they post their advisories there.
There is also a Plus mobile app that can be downloaded in the Android and IOS stores.
For further information, drivers can contact plus at 1800-88-0000.
Federal police Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director Datuk Azisman Alias said he was concerned that motorists would decide to rush back to the city on the same day.
However, he said if this was unavoidable, motorists must show patience while enduring the long jams and, most importantly, not speed.
“Drivers need to slow down and not rush because they can get into unnecessary accidents. They should also get enough rest because they will be stuck in the jam if everybody goes back to the city on the same day,” he said.
Azisman also reminded drivers that policemen were on standby along the highways not just to monitor those who break the laws but also to ensure their safety.
He said he wanted drivers to be aware that the Op Selamat 14 for CNY is still ongoing till Feb 12, so their activities are being monitored on the roads.
Azisman said the 11 days of Op Selamat 14 so far had shown a decrease of the number of accidents, but added that he wanted the figure to be even lower.
“To date, on the 11 days of official count for Op Selamat this year, the reported numbers of overall road accidents are 15,464, which is down from the previous year’s figure of 15,495. The number of fatal accidents to date has also decrease to 130 from 174 reported last year which is a 25 per cent decrease.
“The number of road deaths stands at 156 compared to 186 during the corresponding period last year. While Op Selamat is not finished yet, our men are on the road and remain vigilant,” he said.