According to The Star, Malaysia has issued a proposal to Singapore, for travellers to only clear the customs once at the Johor-Singapore Causeway.
Johor’s chairman for works, transportation and infrastructure committee and head of a multi-agency taskforce that is tasked with easing congestion at the Causeway and Second Link, Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, said that the proposal includes stationing Singapore’s immigration officers at Malaysia’s checkpoint to clear those entering Singapore, and placing Malaysia’s immigration officers at Singapore’s checkpoint to clear those entering Malaysia.
He added that it will be similar to the system that will be put in place when the Rapid Transit System begins operations in 2026, although it is still in the initial stages.
Johor is also looking at increasing the number of motorcycle lanes at the Causeway, with Fazli adding that they were seeking additional funds to increase it to 75, from 50.
They are also proposing for the lorry lanes to be used for passenger traffic during the weekends.
Malaysia’s Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously appealed to prime minister Anwar Ibrahim about the Causeway congestion, highlighting that an average of 150,000 Malaysians wake up at 4am to queue up at the Causeway in order to make it in time for their work in Singapore.
He appealed for sympathy for the Malaysian workers in Singapore, saying that “by the time they return to Malaysia after going through the jam, it is already 10pm.”
Some Malaysian netizens have been quoted by The Star as saying that the congestion appeared to be worse on the Singapore side because of the lack of manpower.
One netizen said that they can clear the Malaysia side of the customs within 30 minutes, but get stuck in Woodlands for almost 2 hours because of many counters being closed.