JOHOR BAHRU – Locals are not the only ones complaining about the traffic snarls within the city area that are going from bad to worse.

Now, even foreign visitors are left frustrated due to the bad congestion.

They said this has been the case for the past few months, and it has worsened following the holiday season.

Singaporean businessman Edward Tan, 56, said he was stuck on the road for many hours after leaving a mall in Jalan Wong Ah Fook recently.

“Since the reopening of the border in April 2022, I have been to Johor only about five times. I can see a significant difference in the traffic condition now compared with about a year ago.

“It is also not easy to get a parking spot in town. The situation is very bad during the holiday season,” he said, adding that the ongoing construction works have also contributed to this.

On congestion at the border, Mr Tan said that while there have been some improvements, more should have been done to make things better.

“On a recent visit a few days before Christmas, I noticed that there were still counters that were closed.

“This should not have happened as I am sure the authorities would have anticipated a high volume of people coming in from Singapore,” he said.

Another Singaporean, Ms Zahidah Zulkifli, 30, who was visiting Johor with her friend over the weekend, said that while the traffic condition in town has worsened, it did not deter her from enjoying her time in Johor Bahru.

“It did not affect me that much as I do not drive. All the places I needed to go to were within walking distance, making it easier (for me) to enjoy my time here.

“The only concern has always been the traffic at the Causeway, but thankfully, I had a smooth bus ride that was less than 30 minutes,” said the saleswoman.

Filipino Paterno III Villamor Sumbilon, 31, said that while he did not face any congestion at the Causeway during his recent trip, the traffic condition around Johor Bahru has worsened.

“I came to Johor for an early New Year’s holiday and to visit my friend. I anticipated heavy traffic due to the long weekend and decided to make my way here on Friday morning.

“I was lucky as there was no congestion at the border. Instead, I was greeted with a traffic jam upon arrival in Johor Bahru,” he said, adding that he has been working in Singapore for more than a decade.

The assistant supervisor said it has also been increasingly difficult for him to get e-hailing services in Johor Bahru, especially during peak hours.

“I use public transport to get to Johor. Once I am here, I will either walk or use e-hailing services. However, I noticed that it has been very difficult to get any driver these days.

“I believe the traffic congestion in town may have caused e-hailing drivers to have to spend more time to complete a single trip,” he added.

Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong said the congestion in Johor Bahru is expected to go back to normal once all the construction works in the area have been completed.

“The main concern is still traffic congestion at the border. The year-end traffic congestion at the Causeway and Second Link has improved this year compared with last year, but it is still far from the standard we should strive for.

“We should have seen better results by now, as the Menteri Besar (Onn Hafiz Ghazi) has been pushing for improvements.

“We were also told that Johor will be getting more immigration officers in the middle of this month,” he said, adding that he has also received complaints from travellers of counters that were closed in the recent holiday period.

On Dec 21, state works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said all contra lanes at the two land Customs, Immigration and Quarantine checkpoints in Johor would be activated in anticipation of a high volume of vehicles from Singapore during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK