LETTERS: AFTER a long episode of Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, we can finally reset our lives as how it was before the raging pandemic began.
Efforts taken to curb, if not control, the spread of the virus by the Health Ministry, which emphasises on the need to vaccinate, are indeed much appreciated. The end-result is reasonably seen to be effective, even with the current rise in Covid-19 cases.
International and inter-state travel have been finally allowed with minimum restrictions.
And during the much anticipated balik kampung saga for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we had a heavy flow of traffic in the North-South Expressway.
Just like everyone else, I decided to hit the road with my family for a short trip to Ipoh.
I love travelling and I have been driving for nearly 30 years during peak/off-peak periods, and what I witnessed last week was something I have never encountered throughout my driving experience.
It was like something out of the movies, with a long trail of cars leaving the city on a highway. Being stranded in the traffic jam felt like a lockdown on the road itself.
Multiple ambulances and law enforcement vehicles were seen squeezing through the lanes to clear mishaps and accidents ahead.
The normal two-hour journey to Ipoh from my hometown this time became a painful six-hour ordeal! The most frustrating part was at the toll plazas.
I think most people already know that the RFID tag payment system has not been fine-tuned at all the highways nationwide.
The RFID lane itself had a long queue that wasn't moving at all. The so called "radio frequency identification" system was not detecting most of the tags on cars, and highway workers had to operate the lane's barrier poles manually.
Since I did not top-up the Touch 'n Go E-wallet for the RFID, I decided to take the Smart Tag lane, which also had the RFID sign.
Apparently, upon reaching the toll, the RFID system was the first to detect my car and it allowed me to go through the barrier.
However, this ended up in a frustrating incident when I tried to exit in the next RFID lane. The system didn't allow me to go through due to insufficient credit in the e-wallet.
I was told by a highway official to top up the e-wallet at that point. I was holding back nearly 100 cars behind me, and it took about 10 minutes to top up as there was no phone reception in that area.
I would like to express my concern over toll lanes that detect the RFID tag and Smart Tag together. Imagine if a senior citizen or someone unfamiliar with online transactions have to start fumbling to reload their e-wallet.
My point here is, the travel bug for all the festive seasons is expected to affect most people.
Why not make things easier by separating the RFID and Smart Tag lanes? It's either that or stick to three separate lanes that individually cater to Touch'n Go, Smart Tag and RFID.
We try hard to keep up with the Joneses, but unfortunately, what is lacking here is simple smart planning.
DR VICTOR DAVID
Faculty of Medicine,
AIMST University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times