PLUS Anticipates 2 Million Vehicles For Chinese New Year Holidays

PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) just released that they are anticipating approximately 2 million vehicles to use their highway network during the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday period from 20 Jan to 24 Jan 2023.

PLUS’ Chief Operating Officer, Datuk Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi said, “The figure translates to a 20% increase in traffic as compared to normal days”. To cope with the traffic increment, PLUS is strategizing and taking various proactive measures to help travellers enjoy safer and more convenient travel on our highways,” he added.

The key strategies PLUS would be eyeing at this time is safety, traffic and congestion management, highway users’ convenience, traffic management at toll plazas as well as traffic information dissemination throughout the holiday period.

Datuk Zakaria adds, “Our main focus is the safety of our highway users, and we will carry out various steps to increase safety on the highways. At the same time, we advise motorcyclists and heavy vehicle drivers to be more careful on the road and take the necessary safety precautions throughout the festive season”.

The highest number of fatalities involves motorcyclists at 64% in 2022 while accidents involving heavy vehicles are also high and require a longer duration to be cleared. It also required more specialised heavy equipment such as cranes.

PLUS would also be collaborating with the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and the Road Transport Department (RTD) this time around for more stricter traffic law enforcement along the highways. Combined, they would also carry out continuous road safety advocacy this festive period.

A total of 265 highway patrol teams would be deployed this time around, a 9.1% increase compared to regular periods to assist highway users in distress and emergencies. PLUS would also issue a standard Travel Time Advisory (TTA) for the North-South Expressway and LPT2 aimed to distribute traffic throughout the CNY travel period. Highway users are advised to rely on either Waze or Google Maps to receive up to date travel information.

“It is important for highway users to use the same payment mode upon entry and exit of the highway. For example, if RFID is used upon entry, the user must then exit the highway also using RFID, similarly with Touch ‘n Go and SmartTAG. Using the same mode of payment will greatly reduce the possibility of congestion at the toll lanes. Another key tip is to make sure one’s e-Wallet (for RFID transaction) or Touch ‘n Go card has sufficient balance for travel,” Datuk Zakaria strongly suggests.