Johor checkpoints sees heavy congestion amid stepped-up motorcycle checks

The heavier traffic at the Johor land checkpoints recently is due to stricter immigration checks, Malaysian authorities have said on Thursday (Nov 20).

This comes after the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said that it detained 26 Malaysians who exited the country through the motorcycle lanes without presenting their passports.

In a statement shared on Facebook, AKPS said that 13 of them were fined RM1,500 (S$473), while three pillion riders were given written warnings.

The Star reported that following these incidents, the authorities in Johor Bahru have imposed more stringent checks at the motorcycle lanes at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) over the past few days.

Johor works, transportation, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said that the congestion, which peaks around 6am and 7pm, is due to motorists using the manual counters, where officers have to physically inspect and scan each passport.

He said that the checks typically take more than 30 seconds per person, with officers having to handle multiple passports at the same time.

"The congestion was unavoidable for now as enforcement officers needed to prevent further cases where motorcyclists bypass immigration checks," said Fazli, adding that travelers are encouraged to use the recently introduced QR code clearance to shorten the waiting time.

More motorcycle lanes needed 

About 40,000 to 50,000 Malaysians have registered for the MyNIIse application, according to the Johor official. This is fewer than the 100,000 registrations from Singaporeans.

The MyNIISe system was rolled out for passenger cars from Sept 22, while implementation for motorcycles, pedestrians and bus users began on Oct 15.

Several Malaysians travellers, however, called for the authorities to introduce more motorcycle lanes with the QR code clearance system to reduce congestion at the land checkpoints.

Speaking to AsiaOne on Friday (Nov 21), Mohammad Adam said that most of the lanes equipped with the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) had been closed over the past few days. 

The 37-year-old technician, who has travelled to Singapore daily for work over the past seven years, said motorcyclists like him were forced to use the manual counters instead — a situation that has caused frustration at the checkpoint.

"The traffic on the Causeway has been worse with an additional 40 to 50 minutes of waiting time on the JB side," Adam said, adding that there were days when he arrived late for work despite leaving home at around 6am.

Another motorist, who declined to be named, said that more publicity is needed to encourage people to use the QR code system.

"A lot of my friends who are stuck in the jam don’t even know about MYNIISe," the 40-year-old said. "They get angry [about the longer waiting times] then all they can do is go Facebook to complain."

chingshijie@asiaone.com