PETALING JAYA: Road users in private vehicles will enjoy toll-free travel on highways on April 8 and 9 in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, says the Works Ministry.
In a statement, the ministry said that the Cabinet had decided that toll-free travel for Class 1 (private vehicles) would be implemented on all highways nationwide from 12.01am on April 8 until 11.59pm on April 9.
There will be no toll at all plazas except at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Tanjung Kupang in Johor.
The two days of toll-free travel would have an estimated financial implication of RMRM37.6mil, read the statement on Thursday (March 28).
"This decision was made during the Cabinet meeting on Feb 7, aimed at celebrating all citizens, especially the Islamic community, who celebrate Aidilfitri, and as a gesture of care and shared joy with all Malaysians," said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
"With this toll exemption, the number of vehicles is expected to increase by 2.46 million per day on all highway networks," he told reporters after inspecting the Seremban southbound rest and service area, here on Thursday.
Nanta encouraged motorists using the North-South Highway (PLUS) to plan their journeys according to the travel time advisory (TTA) schedule via the MyPLUS-TTA app.
The app enables motorists to choose the most suitable travel times based on entry and exit toll plazas, he explained.
"I also want to advise users that despite the laws and facilities in place to ensure safety, it still depends on us. We must be cautious and not rely entirely on the concessionaire companies," he said.
Nanta said that in efforts to alleviate congestion during Aidilfitri, the Malaysian Highway Authority and concession companies will activate Smart Lanes at 18 strategic points along the PLUS Highway, aimed at increasing capacity and ensuring the seamless flow of traffic.
He noted that this includes three new locations compared to the 15 Smart Lane locations implemented during the Chinese New Year in February.
Clear signs for Smart Lane activation are installed at 500m intervals, with warning signs 200m before both commencement and conclusion as well as blinking indicator lights every 1km.
"Furthermore, mobile variable message sign (VMS) displays will be deployed to inform users about the activation/termination of Smart Lane operations. It is only activated during peak hours to alleviate congestion," he said.
He reminded motorcyclists to exercise caution when using emergency lanes as they may not realise when the lane has been activated as a Smart Lane and other vehicles may be using the lane.
Nanta said that to facilitate traffic flow, prevent congestion and ensure smoother journeys, there no lanes will be closed for maintenance from April 1-17.
"However, maintenance work that does not involve lane closures can be carried out unless there is an emergency or accident necessitating lane closure. PLUS is providing 11 locations with emergency response teams," he said. – Bernama
