Coping with influx of visitors
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

With the completion and opening of the RM178-million Baram Bridge at the end of August, authorities there are now thinking of improving their checkpoints with Brunei in Sungai Tujoh, Kuala Baram.

During the last public holiday in Brunei on September 24, their checkpoints struggled to cope with a sudden influx of visitors from the Sultanate.

Malaysia's The Star reported that on that day, Sarawak Immigration and Customs staff manning the checkpoint were caught off-guard by an increase in the flow of vehicles crossing the boundary, resulting in massive traffic congestion.

Brunei travellers had to queue for two hours on that day as "there was a sudden surge in the number of vehicles, rising to about 8,000 within six hours from 7am to 1pm that day, and the four lanes at the checkpoint were filled to capacity."

An additional lane was opened to cope with the sudden influx of vehicles.

The paper quoted the Senadin State Assemblyman Lee Kim Shin who said three additional lanes are needed to handle any sudden inflow.

The additional lanes may be constructed urgently in view of the coming festivals such as Hari Raya and Christmas as well as the school holidays.

The Sungai Tujoh checkpoints handle about a million travellers annually from Brunei, Sabah, Limbang and Lawas.

However, local travellers said that the Brunei checkpoints at the Sungai Tujoh could still cope with a sudden influx of travellers going to Miri.

"On Brunei side, the processing of vehicle passes are done without the need of drivers going out of their cars, just like the stamping of their passports. This saves a lot of time. But on Miri side, drivers still need to go out of their cars to get passes for their vehicles," they said.

Sungai Tujoh is the only land exit point connecting Sarawak to Brunei, Limbang, Lawas and Sabah.

With the completion of the Baram bridge, travelling time from Brunei Darussalam has been reduced considerably.

It now takes about two hours for travellers from Bandar Seri Begawan to arrive in Miri, compared to more than three hours before the completion of bridge.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin