Toll-free highway travel for private vehicles for Deepavali on Oct 29-30

KUALA LUMPUR: Private vehicle users will enjoy toll-free travel on highways on Oct 29 and 30 in conjunction with Deepavali, says the Works Ministry.

Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the toll-free travel for Class 1 (private vehicles) will be implemented at all highways from 12.01am on Tuesday and end at 11.59pm the following day (Wednesday).

"The Madani government has agreed to provide free tolls Oct 29 and 30 to allow multiple highway users especially the Indian Hindu community to celebrate Deepavali in an atmosphere of happiness, harmony and mutual respect.

"This free toll would only apply to personal vehicles and will be implemented on all highways.

"However, they will not apply to tolls at the country’s borders, namely the Sultan Iskandar Building (North South Highway) and Tanjung Kupang (Malaysia-Singapore Second Line Expressway) toll plazas in Johor.

This initiative will cost the government an estimated RM38mil," he said in a statement today.

Alexander advised road users to follow the schedules provided for the free tolls and travel time advisory (TTA) by the highway concessionaire.

"Do ensure that your vehicle is in good condition and that your e-wallet and Touch ‘n Go card have sufficient balance," he said.

He also urged road users to drive with care, obey all the relevant rules and rest when tired or sleepy.

"Let us all work together to make our highways safe, clean and comfortable as well as reduce the Malaysian road accident statistics," he said.

Road users can access the Malaysian Highway Authority CCTV display at https://www.llm.gov.my to check the highway conditions before and during their trip.

Contact the Highway Traffic Management Centre at 1-800-88-7752 to get the latest information on traffic conditions or assistance while on the highway.

Road users can check the traffic status or get info on any incidents on the highway on the official social media accounts of the Malaysian Highway Authority.

Bernama reported that traffic volume is expected to increase starting tomorrow, with an expected 2.62 million vehicles using the main expressways heading towards the north, south and east coast ahead of the festive holiday.

Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) director-general Datuk Sazali Harun said 2.13 million vehicles are expected to use the PLUS expressways, 198,000 vehicles on the Kuala Lumpur (KL)-Karak Highway, East Coast Highway Phase 1 (78,220 vehicles), East Coast Highway Phase 2 (59,220) and the West Coast Expressway - WCE (153,700 vehicles).