“The congestion problem is dire,” remarked Sulaiman Saheh, research director of real estate consultancy Rahim & Co International. He was referring to the hundreds of thousands of commuters who travel daily between Johor and Singapore, which is also one of the world’s busiest land crossings.
“One can take up to two to three hours to cross the Causeway, and that’s one-way. For Singaporeans to realise their dream of, say, sending their children to an internationally- renowned college or university at a much cheaper tuition fee, or have a business meeting at their manufacturing facility or satellite office in Johor Baru, and having to be on the road for three to five hours a day, is an inconvenience.
“This discourages to some degree the movement of investments to Iskandar Malaysia, which has seen a plateau since its hype in the mid-2010s,” he added.