UP to 2.3 million vehicles a day are expected to use the PLUS highway network during peak travel periods for the upcoming Aidilfitri celebrations, prompting the highway operator to introduce additional traffic management measures.
PLUS Malaysia Berhad managing director Datuk Nik Airina Nik Jaffar said traffic volume on the network is forecast to increase by more than 20 per cent during two key travel windows from 18 to 20 March and again from 27 to 29 March.
To manage the anticipated surge, the company will implement several strategic measures focused on traffic distribution through the MyPLUS-TTA digital travel schedule, more efficient traffic and incident management, and maintaining comfort for highway users.
“Here I would like to emphasise or advise all highway users to plan their journeys more optimally by using MyPLUS-TTA on the PLUS Highway and also the East Coast Expressway 2 (LPT2),” she said at a press conference at Persada PLUS corporate headquarters on Thursday.
She added that the travel scheduling system had already shown positive results during recent festive travel periods.
“Based on the pattern of our experience during the recent Chinese New Year traffic trend, users who complied with the MyPLUS-TTA travel schedule enjoyed better and smoother travel times compared with those who did not follow it,” she said.
Also present at the briefing was Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director Datuk Seri Muhammed Hasbullah.
Nik Airina explained that the core principle of the MyPLUS-TTA system is to stagger departure times in order to prevent traffic from concentrating at specific hours.
“If all traffic begins travelling at the same time, it will complicate journeys and result in heavy congestion for several hours,” she said.
To further ease congestion, 34 Smart Lane locations will be opened at strategic points along the highway network during the festive period to increase traffic capacity.
However, motorists using these lanes will be required to observe a reduced speed limit due to the narrower layout.
“The use of Smart Lanes cannot be the same as on the mainline. It needs to be slower and for now we have set the maximum speed limit at 60 kilometres per hour,” she said.
PLUS will also deploy more than 6,000 personnel across the highway ecosystem during the festive period.
Emergency response teams will be stationed at several strategic locations in collaboration with the police, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia, and the Road Transport Department to enable faster responses to accidents.
In addition, all facilities at rest and service areas along the highway network will operate around the clock to ensure the comfort and convenience of travellers throughout the Aidilfitri travel season. - March 12, 2026
