I RECENTLY visited my home town, Kota Baru. From Kuala Lumpur we took the East Coast Expressway (LPT1 and 2), a pleasant drive despite some bumpy stretches. There was not much traffic unlike during any of the Hari Raya and other festival times.
I took slightly more than four hours to reach the end of LPT2, the Gemuroh junction, which is about 20-odd kilometres from Kuala Terengganu.
From then on it was on the usual federal road with all the twists and turns and only the occasional overtaking lane. Though the road is now much wider than what it was in the 1990s, it is not as pleasant as the LPT.
It has been announced many times that there is a plan to extend the LPT to eventually reach Kota Baru. But so far, nothing has happened. The same is also true of the promised highway linking Kota Baru and Kuala Krai.