The strategies include traffic distribution, customer convenience and efficient traffic management system.

At a press conference held at Persada PLUS to announce PLUS preparations for the festive season, Managing Director Noorizah Hj Abd Hamid said, ”We expect traffic on the North-South Expressway to increase by 30 percent to 1.4 million vehicles a day compared to 1.1 million vehicles on normal days for this upcoming festive season.”

1) Traffic Distribution

In coping with the increase in traffic and ensuring smoother traffic flow, PLUS has came up with a ravel Time Advisory (TTA) to assist the public in planning their journey during the holidays.

The TTA consists of recommended travelling times for various destinations from Klang Valley to major states and town in Kedah, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor. This effort is suggested to distribute traffic and reduce congestion on main routes of the highway, toll plazas and rest and service areas during peak hours. 

(Kindly refer to the Travel Time Advisory attached in Attachment A)

The TTA was first introduced by PLUS in 2007 and is based on careful analysis of travel patterns during past festive seasons. It has proven to be a major factor in contributing to smoother traffic on highways during festive period.

“For example, during last years celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitre, approximately 50 percent of highway users followed the TTA suggested by PLUS. Therefore, we hope that the public will continue to cooperate by following the schedule released for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri,“ said Nik Airina. 

2) Users comfort

In order to ensure users of the highway enjoy a comfortable journey on the upcoming festive season, PLUS will also take the listed initiatives: -

3) Efficient traffic management

PLUS will also open emergency lanes at specific locations to reduce traffic congestions. 

In addition, PLUS will also provide the latest traffic updates through the short messaging system (plusMA), increase the frequency of PLUSRonda’s patrolling and position tow truck services on strategic locations along the highway. 

”We advise the public to plan their journey and contact the PLUSLine toll free number at 1800 88 0000 for the latest traffic informations,” Noorizah added.

Meanwhile Ismail urged the public to follow the TTA in planning their journey to facilitate smoother traffic flow along the highway. ”We hope that the public will continue to cooperate by following the TTA which is a pro-active initiative by PLUS to provide a safer, smoother and more comfortable journey during the upcoming festive season,” Ismail said.

According to PLUS Expressways Berhad’s Managing Director, Noorizah Hj Abd Hamid, surveillance by the PLUS Traffic Monitoring Centre and personnel on the ground have reported a significant improvement in traffic flow at the three stretches – the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) between Shah Alam and Jalan Duta, the NSE between Sungai Buloh and Bukit Lanjan and Federal Highway Route 2 between Subang and Sungai Rasau.

“PLUS Expressways would like to thank the lorry operators for their understanding and cooperation in complying with this new ruling which was introduced by the authorities as one of the strategies towards ensuring smoother traffic flow on busy urban stretches during peak hours.

“We have also received many phone calls, sms and e-mails from members of the public who expressed happiness with the new ruling as they are now experiencing a smoother drive to work in the mornings, with some even stating that their journey time to work is now cut by half!”

“The authorities especially the Works Ministry, Malaysian Highway Authority, Road Transport Department and the police should also be commended for their approval and role in this matter,” Noorizah said in a statement today.

Heavy vehicle operators are advised to make use of the parking facilities provided at the respective rest and service areas on the highway during the banning period before continuing their journey. Suggested rest and service areas include the Sungai Buloh Overhead Bridge Restaurant, Sungai Buloh Lay-By, Rawang Lay-By, Ulu Bernam RSA, USJ Overhead Bridge Restaurant, Dengkil RSA, Seremban RSA, Serdang Lay-By and Nilai Lay-By.

“Drivers of heavy vehicles may also use alternative routes as announced by PLUS earlier,” she said.

With the theme Attitudes on Roads – A Malaysian Journey, the short film competition is aimed at empowering students of institutions of higher learning to have their say through short films and provide a platform to play their part in changing attitudes on Malaysian roads.

“Our aim is to give students a platform through short films to play their part in addressing and changing negative attitudes on Malaysian roads.

“They can do this by capturing and creating moments and messages that will reflect attitudes on Malaysian roads and how these attitudes are related to road accidents and deaths,’ said Chairman of MUFORS, Noorizah Haji Abd Hamid, who is also Managing Director of PLUS Expressways Berhad, the prime mover of MUFORS.

According to Noorizah, the competition will also enable students of institutions of higher learning to be part of MUFORS as agents of change in giving road safety advocacy a fresh approach by encouraging people from all walks of life to take ownership of road safety and specify “what my role is in promoting road safety and saving lives”.

“All students from any discipline can take part in this competition which offers attractive cash prizes of up to RM10, 000 per category to the students and also the institution they belong to,” Noorizah said at the launch of MUFORS Road Reels today. (Please refer to table below for categories and prizes).

The short films for MUFORS Road Reels can be fictional or non-fictional, real or created, comedy, serious or satire as long as it is in line with the theme Attitudes on Roads – A Malaysian Journey. The closing date for entries is 30 October 2010 and students should visit www.mufors.org.my for more information, entry forms and rules and regulations.

Noorizah also expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the MUFORS campaign last year as  an overwhelming 240,000 Malaysians from all walks of life made their personal pledges for road safety via text, photo, video and SMS through the MUFORS website and road shows all over Malaysia.