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A man said he spent a record seven hours and 19 minutes returning to Singapore after a family day trip to Johor Bahru (JB) on Dec. 19.

He expected the journey would only take two to three hours given the holiday season.

But things did not look good at the start -- when they departed JB at 9pm, he took this video of the traffic jam:

@dailyvibessg #sg #sgcustom #fyp ♬ 圣诞节快乐(纯音乐)（剪辑版） - Mr.music

Shin Chen told AsiaOne said he was visiting JB for a seafood meal and to do some shopping with his family.

What they didn't plan for was spending six hours inching towards the JB customs building.

Jam seemed concentrated at Malaysia customs

The man said the worst of the jam was at Malaysia customs, where some counters were under renovation.

He lamented that they had missed the petrol kiosk in Malaysia, and didn't even manage to refuel their car before heading home.

And so he spent his time in line watching YouTube videos, reading articles and playing Mobile Legends.

Spent more time with family

Despite the gruelling wait, he appreciated that he could spend more time with his loved ones, especially his elderly parents who he sees less often.

In the comments, many users felt the wait was ridiculous.

"Crazy. It is like flying from SGP to Melbourne," read one comment. Others advised him to make the journey via the Tuas Causeway instead.

A regular visitor to JB, Shin Chen said the longest he had been caught in a Causeway jam was four hours.

Shin Chen reflected that while it is a nice place to visit, he wasn't likely to drive to Malaysia anytime soon, but will be back after the crowd "dies down a bit."

Heavy traffic during holiday season

Expect heavy traffic during this period.

According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), traffic along both land checkpoints has reached pre-Covid-19 levels during peak hours.

Motorists are advised to check the traffic situation at the land checkpoints through the Land Transport Authority (LTA)’s One Motoring website or via the Expressway Monitoring & Advisory System installed along the BKE and AYE before embarking on the journey.

Top images via @dailyvibessg/TikTok.