Travelling Home for CNY? Don't Drive At These Times

Can you hear the sounds of lion dancing and firecrackers in the distance? That’s because Chinese New Year is drawing near! If you’re travelling back to your hometown this coming weekend, we’ve got the details on recommended travel times as well as times you should avoid driving this festive season.

Note: We have used Waze 2019 Chinese New Year times as a reference for recommended travel times as well as times you should avoid driving this festive season.

 

Kuala Lumpur 

Photo by Paweł Szymankiewicz on Unsplash 

 

DO: Drive drive between the hours of 7 p.m - 10 p.m. 

 

DON’T: Drive in the early mornings. Waze also recommends avoiding driving out between 4 a.m - 5 a.m on the 2nd and 4th day of Chinese New Year. 

 

Johor

 

 Image by  Aimanabdulharis on Wikimedia Commons

 

DO: Just like Kuala Lumpur, Waze highly recommends leaving between the hours of 7 p.m. -10 p.m. for those living in Johor. 

 

DON’T:  Peak traffic hours for Johor start even earlier for Johor-ians. For those living in Batu Pahat, avoid driving out between 3 a.m. -  9 a.m. in the morning especially for the day before Chinese New Year. Those in Johor Bahru would need to avoid driving in the morning of the day before Chinese New Year, between 4 a.m. - 1 p.m. This might be due to the influx of traffic coming in from both Singapore and other parts of West Malaysia. 

 

Perak

 

 

Image by Perak Tourism 

 

DO: The best cruising times are between 6 p.m. - 10 p.m, which is slightly earlier than counterparts in Kuala Lumpur and Johor. 

 

DON’T: For those in Kinta, avoid driving out in the mornings between 5 a.m. - 9 a.m. Those living in Larut Matang should instead worry about early mornings (4 a.m.  - 6 a.m.) and noon on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year (12 p.m. - 1 p.m.). 

 

Kelantan 

 

 

Image by Marufish on Flickr

 

DO: As with Perak, the hours between 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. are generally alright for cruising around. 

 

DON’T: Avoid driving in the mid-morning the day before Chinese New Year and for the first 2 days of Chinese New Year (8 a.m. - 10 a.m.). 

 

Terengganu 

Photo by mosafir_malam via Instagram

DO: It is generally safe to drive around 6 p.m. -10 p.m. on the day before Chinese New Year and during Chinese New Year period itself. 

 

DON’T: Do avoid driving out on the 2nd and 4th day of Chinese year in the early morning (4 a.m. -5 a.m.). For the rest of the Chinese New Year period, avoid mid-morning periods (8 a.m. - 9 a.m.). 

Pahang 

 

Image by Tourism Pahang

 

DO: Travel between 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. on most days for lighter traffic. 

 

DON’T: Avoid travelling in the early mornings (3 a.m. -  7a.m.) as most people will be starting off their Chinese New Year hometown journey early. 

 

Melaka

 

 

Photo by T RR on Unsplash 

 

DO: Travel at night (7 - 8pm) for a smoother journey in Melaka! On the day before Chinese Year, traffic will be smoothest between 9 - 10pm. 

 

DON’T: Avoid travelling from 6-7am on most days during Chinese New Year! However, you should especially avoid travelling from 3 - 4 am on the first day of Chinese New Year for those living in Melaka! 

 

Kedah

Photo by farezkarim via Instagram

DO: The hours between 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.  are okay to travel for those living in Kedah. 

 

DON’T: For those living in Kedah, avoid travelling between 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. on the day before Chinese New Year and 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. For the rest of the Chinese New Year period, it would be best to generally avoid travelling in the early morning from 4am - 7am. 

 

Sarawak (Kuching) 

 

Image by travelphotographer from Pixabay 

 

DO: Generally, traffic will be smooth between 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. 

 

DON’T: Sarawakians tend to be an excited bunch for Chinese New Year. Avoid travelling in the early hours of the morning for these 3 days: the day before Chinese New Year, the 2nd day and the 3rd day. 

Are you heading out for Chinese New Year celebrations instead? According to Waze, the 3 most common places people will be visiting are malls at 23.9%,  followed by restaurants (19.7%) and hotels (12.4%). So anticipate a crowded festive atmosphere, because after all, the more the merrier! 

 

If you need a flight home for the holidays, you can book your flight, hotel and tour packages on Mayflower.com.my now. Register as a Mayflower member for the best travel deals and steals!

 

Our ALL-NEW Chinese New Year video will be coming out in just a few more days! Stay tuned to our Mayflower Facebook Page on the 24th of January and watch our video to take part in our Chinese New Year contest - great prizes await!