GEORGE TOWN – Penang has recorded a 38% increase in traffic since yesterday, following huge volumes of people travelling interstate over the weekend.
State deputy police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said vehicle numbers in the Northeast district were also found to have increased by up to 100%, causing traffic congestion in most of the central locations around the city.
“We expected an influx of tourists and from inspections we conducted, there were many travellers arriving from states such as Melaka, Johor, and Selangor.
“But many are also taking advantage of the weekend to ‘balik kampung’ because we see the flow of vehicles also increasing to the north,” he said during a press conference in Batu Ferringhi today.
Earlier, Fisol and a group of policemen from the Northeast district headquarters conducted a random inspection at several nasi kandar restaurants and picnic areas in Batu Ferringhi.
He added that a total of 357 traffic summonses were issued by police last night, including eight summonses for violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs) at two food premises.
He said currently, the SOP compliance at all levels is at a satisfactory level, and police hope that all parties will continue to cooperate until the endemic phase expected at the end of this month.
“We really hope that the public can always comply with the SOPs because police cannot be in all locations. We need to always take care of ourselves,” he said.
On Monday, state tourism and creative economy exco, Yeoh Soon Hin, said that the state is ready to welcome as many as 50,000 visitors this weekend now that state borders are reopened.
Penang Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang has since announced that the Penang Island City Council has frozen leave for 78% of its staff in anticipation of the tourist influx. – The Vibes, October 16, 2021
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