Civil servants expected WFH to ease congestion, but commuters were stunned as traffic remained heavy across major highways
CIVIL servants were expected to work from home (WFH) today, leading many members of the public to anticipate a significant reduction in traffic congestion.
However, commuters were surprised to find major arterial roads still heavily congested during the morning rush hour.
In a post on the social media platform Threads, user Nawal Bakri shared her experience on the highway towards Putrajaya, questioning why traffic remained dense despite the WFH arrangement.
“Did I get the day wrong? Wasn’t today supposed to be a WFH day already? Why is the traffic even worse?” she wrote.
She further emphasised that the gridlock was pervasive, adding: “Everywhere is so jammed. Even getting into Putrajaya is something else. Who didn’t get WFH, gather here!”
In the comments section, several civil servants clarified that remote working had not been approved for their specific departments.
One user, Luqman, revealed that only a limited number of employees were granted the arrangement.
“Only a few people actually got WFH. Most still had to come into the office,” he said.
Others highlighted that while the government had made the announcement, final approval ultimately rests with individual department heads.
One user suggested that stricter enforcement might be required before wider adoption occurs, even jokingly suggesting that failing to work from home could eventually become a disciplinary issue.
Additional commuters echoed these frustrations, with many reporting no improvement in travel times despite departing earlier than usual.
One commuter reported that a journey typically expected to take 20 minutes lasted approximately an hour.
READ MORE: Traffic manageable as public sector work-from-home begins
Despite the public outcry, a spokesperson for the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) stated that traffic began slowing as early as 7am due to increased vehicle volume.
The spokesperson added that the situation remained under control and was largely comparable to a standard working day.
