JOHOR BARU - Johor police are expecting heavy traffic at major roads and highways in the state due to the long weekend holiday, which coincides with the first day of Ramadan and the birthday of Johor’s ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, on Thursday.

State police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said they will deploy officers and personnel to ensure smooth travelling for road users in the coming days.

“The Muslims, especially, are expected to travel back to their hometowns to welcome the first day of Ramadan with their loved ones.

“Besides having traffic personnel, we will also deploy members of other departments and police stations to help ease congestion at major roads and highways during the period,” he said on Wednesday.

He urged those who will be taking advantage of the long weekend to go back to their respective hometowns to inform the nearest police station to ensure that their homes will be safeguarded.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Kamarul Zaman also said members of the police force will be stationed at bazaars and roads throughout the fasting month.

“Traffic congestion usually gets worse when people rush to get home at the same time either from work or picking up their children from school to make preparations for their breaking of fast.

“We have identified locations that will see traffic crawls and will be assigning personnel and officers there,” he said.

The state government has declared a replacement holiday for March 26 if the first day of Ramadan coincides with Sultan Ibrahim’s birthday, which is on Thursday.

It has been a practice in Johor to declare the first day of Ramadan a public holiday.

With the state adopting the Friday-Saturday weekend, it will be a four-day weekend holiday in Johor from Thursday. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK