JOHOR BAHRU – The Johor government’s proposal to open up a third route for pedestrians into the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) has been approved for a trial period of two months, said state executive councillor Fazli Salleh on March 13.

The Johor Works, Transportation, Infrastructure and Communication Committee chairman said the third path, a shortcut near Hako Hotel, was raised during a recent meeting on traffic congestion and road safety.

“The committee gave the green light to carry out a dry run for about two months. We will start this and see if there are any problems,” he said.

“If everything is okay, we will bring up the matter again to get approval for the route to be gazetted as official access to get to the BSI.”

The other two access routes to the BSI are in Jalan Jim Quee and Jalan Tun Razak next to City Square.

Mr Fazli said the dry run is expected to start in the coming weeks.

“I will make a final presentation to Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi sometime this week. Once he gives the go-ahead, we will start making the necessary preparations.

“We may need about two to three weeks to get everything prepared before starting the dry run,” he said, adding that an official announcement will be made once the trial run begins.

If the access route is gazetted, he said the shortcut will be the first official route for pedestrians to get to the checkpoint directly.

“There are currently no direct routes to the BSI. The two entrances ing Jalan Jim Quee and Jalan Tun Razak allow people to get to the CIQ through JB Sentral.

“If this shortcut is to be gazetted, people would then have direct access to the CIQ without having to go through JB Sentral.”

However, he said there are several important steps that must be taken before gazetting the route after getting approval from the Cabinet.

“This includes reducing the maximum speed limit in the area, synchronising traffic lights and providing zebra crossings,” he said.

Pedestrians, including pregnant women and senior citizens, had asked for the shortcut to be reopened.

The shortcut, situated near Hako Hotel in Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, makes it easier for them to walk to the CIQ complex.

However, the Home Ministry closed off the shortcut during the Covid-19 pandemic for security reasons.

This forced pedestrians to walk about 1.5km around the building to enter the immigration clearance area.

In January, Mr Fazli told The Star that the state government was considering reopening the shortcut and had asked the Johor Public Transport Corporation (PAJ) and Johor Bahru City Council to develop a plan for its reopening.

He had also asked the public to offer their suggestions.

“I received so many comments about the shortcut,” he said.

“Some even sent me their suggestions through private messages on social media, while others e-mailed me.

“The management of one of the apartments near the area also submitted an official e-mail to me.

“I did not expect to get so many reactions.

“The PAJ also carried out a survey and found that more than 10,000 people had used the shortcut before it was closed.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK