Smooth ride on WCE for motorists in Perak

MOTORISTS in Perak who have used the West Coast Expressway (WCE) are enjoying the latest stretch.Those who spoke to StarMetro said their journey via the WCE had been smooth and in some cases, time-saving.

Oil palm estate smallholder Hew Sin Yong, who lives in Segari, travels quite often to Taiping.

“Like many others from Manjung, we would normally use the trunk road,” he said, adding that a trip via the old route would take about an hour and 40 minutes.

Hew: With the WCE, my trip has been cut short by almost an hour.“With the WCE, my trip has been cut short by almost an hour,” he said, adding that he also used the expressway to travel to Klang, Selangor.

“It is my preferred route now as the old route has many lorries and heavy vehicles plying it,” he added.

Hew, who is also Persatuan Prihatin dan Kebaktian Masyarakat Manjung chairman, said his trip to Taiping was quite pleasant and smooth as there were not many vehicles using the WCE as yet.

“I am very satisfied with the expressway,” he added

Businessman Mohd Fauzi Alias, from Pangkor, said he travelled from Sitiawan to Changkat Jering using the WCE.

“It’s a wonderful expressway. It took me about 30 minutes to travel from the Sitiawan Utara toll plaza to Changkat Jering.

“The drive was smooth and I really like the fact that the journey to Taiping has been shortened.

“The route I used to take previously, which was through the trunk road between Pantai Remis and Trong, takes about an hour and 20 minutes.”

Mohd Fauzi said he had been using the WCE since the opening of the first phase.

Mohd Fauzi: There should be more lights installed along the expressway.“I now use it quite often for my business trips to Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

“Because it is a newly-built road, there’s really not much to complain about.

“Perhaps, there should be more lights installed along the road to improve safety.

“I am hopeful that the toll rate will be reasonable (after the toll-free period),” he added.

Bank staff Michael Chang, from Ipoh, also used the WCE when travelling to the southern parts of the state and particularly enjoyed the drive to Sitiawan from the Changkat Chermin interchange.

“I drive to Sitiawan about twice a month. The drive is smooth as there are not too many cars.

“The best thing is that I get to avoid the traffic light intersections along the Ipoh-Lumut road, although the time to get there is about the same.

“I would also take the WCE when driving back to Ipoh after a visit to Bagan Datuk,” he added.

Chang also hoped to see more lights being installed along the road.

“There are a number of oil palm plantations between Lekir and Ayer Tawar, so there could be animals crossing the road.

“I once saw a monitor lizard trying to cross the road along the way.

“Luckily, it was during the day but there will also be animals crossing at night.

“Good lighting will help prevent accidents,” he added.