AS widely announced, several major roads and highways in the Klang Valley are being temporarily closed or diverted from April 15 to 17 in conjunction with the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia.
However the resulting road closures have caused traffic congestion — and left many Malaysians feeling frustrated.
One woman took to Threads to share her experience and dissatisfaction. In her post, @aennqiera expressed that although she was aware of the prior notices regarding the closures, the situation still caused major inconvenience.
“It’s seriously such a hassle when a VVIP is coming. Never had to close roads like this before. Yeah, there was a notice. But is it even logical to be stuck in the car for an hour like this? Picking up my kid from daycare late — everything’s messed up.”
Her post quickly went viral, garnering mixed reactions from fellow Malaysians. Some sympathized with her, while others felt the inconvenience was a small price to pay for such a rare occasion.
One user, @this.is.nanana, voiced a similar concern: “To those saying there was already a notice — yes, we understand.
“The issue is that they’re closing roads on a working day during peak hours when everyone’s trying to get home.
“What, are we all supposed to take leave? Not everyone has a flexible employer who lets them leave early. If this happened on a weekend, it would be more understandable.”
Another user, @ms_nur_fza, shared her experience as a motorcyclist caught in the jam: “Sis, I was stuck there too yesterday. On my motorbike. The road was already blocked before 5.50pm. I left the office at 5.30pm — are we expected to apply for leave just to get home now? It was raining heavily, couldn’t speed. Ended up stuck for 1.5 hours in the rain.”
However, not all responses were sympathetic. Some argued that the notice was clear and that people should have planned accordingly.
“There was a notice, right? So be a little more aware. Those on motorbikes can easily find alternative routes. Why’d you even go into the area if you knew the roads were closed? It’s not like this happens every day,” said @travelexploreandfun.
“It’s always like this when world leaders visit, for security reasons. This time, there was already a full notice released early on so people could plan their journeys,” commented @aimiruddinhanur.
