KUALA LUMPUR: Traffic at three major highways reached almost 1.5 million vehicles on the eve of Deepavali.

       Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) director Comm Datuk Mat Kassim Karim said a total of 1.27 million vehicles were on the North-South highway, 150,936 vehicles on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak expressway, while phase 1 of the East Coast Highway recorded 53,451 vehicles on Wednesday (Nov 3).

       "Traffic at main toll plazas also showed a sharp spike on Wednesday.

       "This is expected given the long weekend in conjunction with Deepavali celebrations," he said when contacted on Thursday (Nov 4).

       Traffic at Juru toll plaza showed the sharpest increase by 138.51%, with 49,081 vehicles on Wednesday compared to 20,578 vehicles on Oct 15, which was a few days after the inter-state travel ban was lifted, Comm Mat Kassim said.

       "This is followed by Duta toll plaza with a 10% increase, which is 67,458 vehicles at the toll plaza compared to 60,381 previously.

       "Traffic at Sungai Besi toll plaza increased 2.37%, which is 41,683 vehicles compared to 40,721 vehicles previously, while Skudai showed a 10.84% increase in traffic," he said.

       Traffic at Gombak, Bentong and Karak toll plazas also showed an increase by 4.06%, 7.53% and 4.01% respectively, he added.

       Comm Mat Kassim said while traffic flow has increased, the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) had not detected any unusual congestion.

       "JSPT personnel will continue to monitor the situation through the operation codenamed Ops Lancar.

       "We hope all road users abide by traffic rules and regulations and be considerate to others. Always prioritise safety while on the road," he said.