JOHOR BARU: Pedestrians are hoping that the shortcut to the immigration clearance area at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) complex here will be reinstated, as it will significantly shorten their overall travel time to Singapore.
They said that the shortcut near Hako Hotel along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam here allows those on foot to bypass massive traffic jams along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak.
Among them is U. Nithaya, 32, who has been working in Singapore for four years.
“After the reopening of the border, I moved back to Johor Baru and have since been travelling to work by bus daily.
“I remember being able to use the shortcut for about two days after moving here. After that, the traffic police will stop me when I try to use the route. I was told that the shortcut is no longer open.
“Because of that, I have to now walk through a longer road just to get to the CIQ,” she said, adding that there are also senior citizens using the path.
Another Malaysian working in Singapore, machinist Joe Toh, 47, echoed a similar sentiment, hoping that the state government could expedite the reopening of the shortcut.
“Through the shortcut, I can get to the CIQ and pass through immigration in just about 10 minutes, compared to 25 minutes through the road,” he said.
Another commuter, Rohani Jaafar, 27, who travels to Singapore daily, hopes that the shortcut could be opened as soon as possible as it would shorten her walking time by at least 45 minutes daily.
“The jam is so bad, especially during peak hours, because of the construction of the Rapid Transit System Link,” she said, hoping that the state government, including Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, would visit the shortcut and urge its reopening.
Rohani, who works in a hotel in Singapore, said the authorities could also build a pedestrian bridge similar to the one from R&F Mall to the CIQ building or put up barriers to separate pedestrians and motorised vehicles.
