April 8 and 9 Aidilfitri toll-free travel

SEREMBAN, March 28 — The government has approved a two-day toll-free period on April 8 and 9 for Class 1 private vehicle users on highways, coinciding with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

Minister of Works, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, announced that the exemptions will be granted at all toll plazas except for those at the national borders, namely, the Sultan Iskandar Building Toll (BSI) and the Tanjung Kupang Toll Plaza in Johor.

He explained that the toll-free period will commence at 12.01 am on April 8 (Monday) and end at 11.59pm on April 9 (Tuesday), with a compensation allocation of RM37.6 million.

“This decision was made during the Cabinet meeting on February 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.

“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 today.

Nanta encouraged motorists on the North-South highway (PLUS) to plan their journeys by adhering to the suggested Travel Time Advisory (TTA) schedule via the MyPLUS-TTA app.

The app enables travellers 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 emphasised 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 signages for Smart Lane activation are installed at 500-metre intervals, with warning signs 200 metres before both commencement and conclusion as well as blinking indicator lights every 1 kilometre, he added.

“Furthermore, mobile Variable Message Sign (VMS) displays are 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 highlighted that to facilitate traffic flow, prevent congestion, and ensure smoother journeys, no lanes on the highway will be closed for maintenance work from April 1 to 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