SHAH ALAM - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob advised road users to be careful and get adequate rest before starting the journey home after the holiday in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
He said many holidaymakers had already started their journeys as they had to return to work on Monday, causing many major highways to experience congestion which started since yesterday.
"I hope everyone drives carefully. If (you are feeling) tired or sleepy, I hope you can stop to rest before resuming the journey for the safety of all.
"Don’t force yourself to get to the destination quickly, we need to be disciplined when driving," he told reporters at the Bera 2022 Parliament Aidilfitri Open House at Laman Kerayong, Pahang, today.
Ismail Sabri, who is also Bera Member of Parliament, said he believed that the authorities such as the Transport Ministry, Works Ministry, the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), and highway operators have long-term plans to overcome road congestion problems that occurred every festive season.
Heavy traffic was reported on several major highways in the country as people took advantage of the free toll rates on the North-South Expressway and the East Coast Expressway.
In a Twitter post, the MHA said as of 12:48pm today, heavy traffic was reported from the west heading to Bukit Tinggi from the Karak expressway as people made their way back to town.
Bernama reported a spokesman for the MHA said that traffic flow on the North-South Expressway towards the Klang Valley was congested from Sungai Petani Selatan to Bertam; Permatang Pauh to Perai and from Juru to Bandar Cassia.
"There is also a 10-kilometres congestion from Changkat Jering to Kuala Kangsar and slow-moving traffic from Bukit Merah to Taiping; Sungai Perak to Menora Tunnel; Ipoh to Simpang Pulai, Gua Tempurung to Tapah; Tapah rest and service (R&R) area to Bidor; Ladang Bikam to Sungkai and Bukit Beruntung heading to Rawang,” he told Bernama.
He also added that traffic was slow-moving from Skudai to Kulai, Yong Peng to Pagoh and the Senawang R&R area to Port Dickson.
"The outbound traffic from the Klang Valley on the main highways are under control,” he said.
The public may get the latest traffic from toll-free line 1-800-88-0000, the LLM line 1-800-88-7752, at www.twitter.com/plustrafik or www.twitter.com/LLMinfotrafik.