JOHOR BARU: Malaysians working in Singapore are urging the Federal Government to address the congestion problem at the Johor Causeway.
Factory supervisor Alvin Lim, 32, said the government should come out with short, medium and long-term solutions to address the issue.
“Authorities from Malaysia and Singapore need to sit together as both countries are losing in term of productivity levels and man-hours (due to workers being stuck in traffic),’’ he said.
Lim said the government needs to quickly roll out simple measures to ease the congestion such as building the proposed pedestrian walkway and a separate area for cargo transfer and clearance.
He hoped there would be no more delays in building the Rapid Transit System (RTS) project linking Johor Baru and Singapore as it was one way of easing congestion at both the Causeway and the Second Link.
“The Iskandar Malaysia economic growth corridor will benefit immensely from better connectivity and accessibility at the Causeway,’’ he added.
Grace Tan said it was time for the Johor government to engineer its own infrastructure projects such as RTS for the benefit of Johoreans and other Malaysians who call Johor Baru their home.
“Bring in interested parties for the project rather than waiting for a decision from the Federal government which wastes a lot of time and effort,’’ she said.
The 28-year old bank employee said thousands of Malaysians working in Singapore had helped boost the local economy.
“The money earned there and spent in Johor had contributed to the state’s development,’’ said Tan.
Surveyor Mohd Aizat Ahmad Fuad, 34, said Johor and Singapore were economically interdependent, and a win-win solution to address the traffic congestion at the Causeway would benefit everyone.
He said the strong Singapore dollar compared to the ringgit was a boon for Johor’s economy as locals working in the republic have strong purchasing power.
Aizat said over the years, the traffic congestion had gotten worse, with authorities unable to to improve the situation.
“Malaysian and Singapore must solve this,’’ he said.
The Johor Causeway which is about 1.06km in length was completed in 1932. It links Johor Baru to Woodlands in Singapore. About 100,000 vehicles use it daily.
Johor and Singapore are also connected via the 1.9km Second Link, linking Tanjung Kupang in Gelang Patah to Tuas in Singapore.
