Just avoid the main roads

I was forewarned before I ventured out to the island yesterday that the traffic would be terrible. Not only was it a Friday but it was also the midst of the Deepavali festive weekend. Hordes of outstation tourists would be making their way to Penang for a getaway break after emerging from an enforced lockdown due to the coronavirus.

But what could I do? This fifth of November also coincided with the first day of the Chinese tenth lunar month and at the start of every Chinese lunar month, as well as on the 15th day, my Swee Cheok Tong Seh Quah Kongsi would have a small worship session for our resident deities. Nothing elaborate, mind you, my vice-president and I would be at the Kongsi premises to offer joss-sticks at the various altars. 

Besides which, I had an event to attend at the Penang Institute later in the evening: a talk to launch Blue Sky Mansion which is a novel by HY Yeang, formerly a research scientist at the Rubber Research Institute in Kuala Lumpur. 

I told myself that it would be necessary to drive smart. If you know the roads well enough, you can avoid the typically heavy-laden main roads by moving through the secondary ones. It's not a 100 percent fail-proof plan but it generally works well enough for me. Avoid the main roads. Take the secondary roads. Maybe a longer distance to cover but I can get to my destination without the frustration of getting caught in slow-moving traffic or worse, a jam.

The first inkling I had of the traffic situation was even before I left the mainland. Traffic on the North-South Expressway itself was moving very slowly. People were driving northwards to Alor Star and there was the bottleneck at Seberang Jaya. But luckily, the lane towards the Penang Bridge was clear, as well as traffic flow on the bridge itself.

The initial crawl came after the Sungai Pinang Road interchange on the Lim Chong Eu Expressway but once I managed to turn from Weld Quay into Malay Street Ghaut, all the tension flowed away. Armenian Street was clear too - surprise. surprise - and I had no problem making my stop at Carnarvon Lane.

Going to Pulau Tikus later was, however, quite messy. First, I was held up at the junction of Malay Street and Carnarvon Street. And after that came Magazine Road, Penang Road and Burmah Road. But a little patience will solve almost everything. Pangkor Road was clear but Kelawei Road slowed me down a bit. Luckily, I turned off into Cantonment Road and then back into Burmah Road before I found a parking space in Moulmein Close. After a quick dinner at the hawker centre outside the market, I found myself driving smoothly to the Penang Institute in Brown Road.