PETALING JAYA, March 12 — PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) expects traffic on its highway network to reach up to 2.3 million vehicles per day during peak travel days for the upcoming Aidilfitri festive period.
Its managing director Datuk Nik Airina Nik Jaffar said the surge is expected on peak days representing an increase of more than 20 per cent compared with normal traffic levels.
“During this year’s Aidilfitri festive season, PLUS anticipates daily traffic on its highway network to reach about 2.3 million vehicles on peak days — March 18, 19, 20, 27, 28 and 29 — an increase of over 20 per cent compared with usual traffic levels,” she said in a media briefing and press conference on preparations for Raya traffic here today.
She then said PLUS would implement three key strategic measures to manage the increase in traffic and ensure smoother journeys for highway users.
The first strategy, she explained, is the traffic distribution through the myPlus Travel Time Advisory (TTA) for smoother journeys during the festive season.
“Based on patterns and trends observed from our recent experience during the Chinese New Year festive period, we noticed that highway users who followed the myPlus TTA travel schedule enjoyed smoother journeys and shorter travel times compared with those who did not follow the advisory,” she said.
She explained that the advisory works by staggering traffic movement, allowing users to begin their journeys at different times so that traffic is distributed more evenly rather than concentrated within a short period.
She said that during the most recent Chinese New Year festive period, only 29 per cent of highway users followed the myPlus TTA schedule, adding that a higher adoption rate would help improve traffic distribution and overall highway flow.
The second focus, she said, is enhanced traffic and incident management.
She also said that PLUS will also activate 34 smart lane locations at strategic points along its highways, while no lane closures for maintenance works will be allowed.
“Currently, smart lanes are only opened during festive periods when traffic volume increases and traffic movement on the main lanes becomes slow. When smart lanes are activated, they help improve traffic flow by increasing road capacity.
“However, the use of smart lanes cannot be the same as the main lanes, and the speed should be significantly lower,” she explained.
She then said PLUS will also deploy Emergency Response Teams at several strategic locations along the highways in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Fire and Rescue Department and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to shorten response times in the event of accidents.
Nik Airina said users’ comfort is also a priority, with all facilities at Rest and Service Areas (R&R) operating 24 hours a day during the festive period.
To support the surge in highway users, she said PLUS will mobilise more than 6,000 personnel across its highway ecosystem, including staff from headquarters, regional offices and section offices.
“These preparations are not carried out by PLUS alone.
“We work closely with our strategic safety partners, namely the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), PDRM and JPJ, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all highway users during the festive period,” she said.
