5 Creative Ways to Avoid Traffic Jams in Malaysia
By Adia Tay
Image Credit: Esmonde Yong | Unsplash
While they are part and parcel of a motorist’s life, traffic jams never seem to get less frustrating no matter how many years of experience we chalk up on the road. If you’d like to spend less of your life waiting to get somewhere else (who doesn’t?), it’s not an unachievable feat, really – All you need are a few creative ways to avoid getting into traffic jams in Malaysia:
1. Take public transport
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We know this might come across as a bit of a non sequitur, but honestly – You can’t get caught in a traffic jam if you don’t drive. Apart from obliterating the possibility of getting stuck in congested traffic during peak hours, you’ll also be laughing all the way to the bank (via MRT train) with savings that’d you’d otherwise be spending on petrol, car maintenance, parking, and other vehicle-related costs.
ps. Earth will also thank you for taking an SBS bus and making our planet a tad bit greener.
2. Stop over-relying on your GPS
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While most types of GPS are mostly successful at getting you from destination to destination, some don’t do well (or anything at all) when it comes to factoring in traffic conditions, so instead of selecting the quickest route, your GPS might just lead you straight to Congestion Central.
So, rather than relying on your GPS all the time and following it blindly, you should learn about alternative routes for your journey, especially if you’ll be traveling to a particular destination regularly – like the office, or your kid’s primary school.
3. Listen to the radio for traffic updates
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Not all of us listen to the radio whilst driving, but perhaps it’s time you start making a habit of it. If you’re not yet in the know, many Malaysians radio stations offer traffic updates hourly. Once you’ve figured out your usual commute’s timing and routine, make it a point to gather the latest road intel before taking off – Even if you’re not able to find a less congested route, you’ll at least be prepared for the journey ahead, and can take the extra time and make necessary arrangements without feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.
4. Use an app like Waze or Traffic Cam SG
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The Traffic Cam SG app shows its users live photos from key spots throughout the city, and gives information on where and how large traffic jams around the island are. Waze on the other hand, is a community-based app that offers crowdsourced intelligence provided by road users like you and I. Apart from these two apps, there is also a myriad of other apps available that could greatly aid your daily commutes.
5. Take advantage of flexible schedules
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If you’re able to, try and arrange a flexible schedule that doesn’t require you to drive to work when the whole country is doing the same. Approximate peak hours in Singapore are from 8am to 9.30am in the morning, and 6pm to 7pm in the evening, so if you’re able to, speak to your HR department or superior about starting and ending work at a slightly different time than everyone else.
And there you have it – We hope these 5 creative ideas for avoiding traffic jams will help make your future journeys much less congested, and way more smooth sailing. If you have any of your own ideas, we’d love to hear them in the comments below.