JOHOR BARU - The start of the school holidays coupled with stringent inspection following recent security breaches

at the border checkpoint here has led to major traffic congestion at both the Causeway and Second Link.

The traffic backlog is a constant problem, especially for thousands who travel daily from Johor Baru to Singapore for

work and studies. IT engineer Nicholas Vincent, 28, said travelling to work had become a nightmare as it took him

over two hours to get to his office in Singapore. "It never used to be this bad as it usually takes about one-and-half

hours but now, I'm stuck in a crawl almost every day," he said in an interview here yesterday. Nicholas believed that

the traffic jams had worsened following two incidents of security breaches - when a Malaysian teacher drove through

checkpoints of both countries without validating her passport on Jan 17, and another case involving a man on March 8.

"It's frustrating to be stuck in jams during peak hours. The authorities from both countries should come up with a

solution," he said. Accounts executive Suerina Juilina Abd Aziz, 31, said traffic at the checkpoint in the early morning

used to be smooth. "But this has changed in the last two weeks. I find that the vehicles hardly move," she said,

suggesting that existing lanes be widened and traffic officials man the checkpoints to help ease congestion.

Administrative executive, Kamini Devi, 27, claimed that the jams were causing many drivers to suffer mental stress.

"I now have to have my breakfast in the car while driving to work," she said. Johor Immigration Department director

Rohaizi Bahari said the extra traffic was due to the start of the school holidays in both Malaysia and Singapore,

and increased security. "We are constantly monitoring the situation and working with our Singaporean counterparts

on the matter. On our part, we are ensuring that all our counters are open during peak hours while officials are

on standby to direct traffic," he said.