Massive traffic jam along Pasir Gudang Highway caused by ongoing road works.
MUHAMMAD Khairusy Syakirin Abdul Rahman often had to break his fast in the car while on the way home due to the heavy traffic congestion along the Pasir Gudang Highway.
What used to be a 40-minute journey between the 31-year-old’s home in Tampoi, Johor Baru and workplace in Bandar Seri Alam, now takes up to one-and-a-half hours because of ongoing road works.
“Only one lane is open for all vehicles while the others are closed because of the upgrading project.
“The congestion is worse than usual. These days, I have to leave my house about an hour earlier at 6.30am after my sahur to reach my office in time.
“Heading back home is another hassle.
“Due to the backed-up traffic, I frequently miss buka puasa meals with my family.
“I usually just gulp some water and some snacks in the car before having a proper meal when I reach home,” said the marketing executive.
Muhammad Khairusy said his colleagues shared similar frustrations about the traffic situation that has been going on since road works started in phases a few months ago.
“Because of daily traffic delays, I also have to fork out more to pay for my three-year-old son’s childcare as I am always picking him up late,” he added.
Another frustrated road user Lee Pei Ling, 29, dreaded the thought of facing the daily peak-hour traffic congestion.
“It is tiresome to face the bad traffic jam the moment I step out of my house in Permas Jaya and again when I head home at night.
“I understand that the road works are to upgrade the condition of the highway but better traffic control is needed to ensure smooth traffic flow.
“The contractors should not park heavy machinery on the lanes that are not involved.
“When works are halted during the day, the machinery blocks the road and contributes further to traffic congestion.
“This leaves a very tight bottleneck as all vehicles are trying to enter into the one lane that is open to traffic,” the insurance agent said, adding that she had to plan her journey in advance to avoid showing up late for meetings with clients.
Johor MCA publicity chief Chan San San said she was keeping a close watch on the traffic situation, which has affected tens of thousands of road users daily since road works started.
“The affected stretch is from the Bandar Seri Alam area towards Permas Jaya, where it got quite bad.
“The busy highway is one of the main roads in the city so this affects a lot of people, especially those living and working in Johor Jaya, Permas Jaya, Kota Puteri, Pasir Gudang and Bandar Seri Alam,” Chan said, adding that she had brought up the matter with the state government.
Johor works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said he has told the contractor involved to move heavy machinery to the side of the road to free up another lane for vehicles.
“If only one lane is involved in road works, the contractor should allow the other two lanes to be used for smoother traffic flow.
“All machinery used in the upgrading project must be parked at a proper place without obstructing traffic,” he said.
