Travellers coming back to KL faced a daunting 7 hours journey just to reach Gua Musang, despite departing as early as 3:30 am from Kota Bharu this morning.
As Hari Raya draws to a close, traffic is getting heavier, with many anticipating that Sunday, being the last day of the holiday, will be the worst in terms of congestion.
So, many decided to depart one day earlier but were met with heavy traffic as well.
Spent 7 hours, still in Kelantan
According to New Straits Times Wan Ibrahim Wan Harun, 38, revealed that he and his family departed Kota Baru at 3.30 am to avoid traffic congestion.
However, they got stuck in severe traffic between Machang and Kuala Krai.
“We decided to return to Kuala Lumpur today, anticipating worse congestion tomorrow. “
“By 10:30 am, we reached the Gua Musang Transit Centre to take a break before continuing,” Wan Ibrahim explained during an interview at the transit centre.
Rohani Sulaiman, 44, another traveller, expecting an increase in traffic tomorrow, chose to return early to the capital to ensure a day of rest before resuming work on Monday.
“We opted for the Gua Musang-Jeli route to Shah Alam. Fortunately, despite the high volume of vehicles, our journey progressed smoothly,” Rohani remarked.
Gua Musang is the crucial exit point
Recent surveys have highlighted increased activity on routes from Gua Musang to Kuala Krai and Gua Musang to Kuala Lipis, solidifying the district’s status as a crucial exit point from Kelantan.
Despite this, traffic flow in the area remained relatively smooth, with bottlenecks primarily forming at the entry ramp to the Central Spine Road (CSR) or Kuala Krai–Kuala Pilah Highway in Mentara.
Earlier predictions by the authorities indicated an influx of traffic bound for Kuala Lumpur from Friday onwards. Gua Musang police Chief Superintendent Sik Choon Foo reiterated their commitment to managing the anticipated surge in traffic.
“As always, we are prepared to fulfil our duty in managing the heightened traffic levels expected since yesterday,” Superintendent Sik Choon Foo affirmed.
