How was your Good Friday?

For some Singaporeans and Malaysians in the Mid Valley Southkey mall in Johor Bahru on March 29, it wasn't that great.

This was because there was a massive jam that night in the shopping centre's basement car park, where Singapore and Malaysia cars were apparently seen stuck as they all tried to exit the premises at the same time during closing time — but to no avail for some time.

Video of congestion

A TikTok, which showed the chaotic scene with car horns blaring non-stop in the enclosed car park space, was shot by a patron who could not leave and took to social media to express her frustrations.

@muthammah2124 2 jam sangkut kat parking lot jer!!! Ko ghase… dah mcm besok raya aku tgk 🤦🏽‍♀️ #stress #jb #malamjumaat #jem #jbproblem #hariraya #johor #johorean #midvalley #southkey #ramadhan #colleagues #bukapuasa #trending #goviral #viral #malaysiatiktok #puasa #fyp #foryou #me #ihateit #notfunny #honk #stressed ♬ original sound - Ainarticulates ♡

The voice off-camera said: "When people asked me to work in KL, I said 'No', the traffic is bad. But when I work in JB, the traffic is also like trash. Rubbish."

As she spoke, she panned the camera around to show the extent of the traffic standstill, with cars seen in stationary position, as well as some headed in multiple directions.

Reasons for jam

The video was viewed more than 500,000 times in 24 hours.

In response, many commenters commiserated with the woman who shot the clip, and they chimed in with their own experience.

A number of the commenters provided their take on what happened, saying that the Good Friday public holiday in Singapore saw many travel north to Johor for a long weekend getaway.

And as Mid Valley Southkey is a popular shopping centre in Malaysia, many Singaporeans were there.

Another commenter added that many Malaysians have also gone back home from Singapore, which contributed to the overall traffic situation in Johor Bahru.

Moreover, the end of the month period coincided with many Malaysians having received their monthly paycheck, and they were likely out shopping and dining as well.

Traffic heavy outside mall

And it appeared that the jam was not due to any particular situation in the mall.

Traffic outside the mall had already built up since early evening.

One commenter said he got stuck in his vehicle when he was trying to make his way out of the car park at 5pm, and ended up at the exit gantry at 7:20pm.

He ended up breaking his fast while in the car.

His response was in reply to another commenter who suggested not taking the car park exit towards Woodlands, but towards Tebrau Expressway.

However, both exits were apparently packed.

Another commenter suggested that malls should lift the exit gantry barrier in such situations to ease the traffic flow, but it is not known if such a measure would have helped, given that the gridlock was not within the mall itself.

Currently, Muslims in Singapore and Malaysia are observing the month of Ramadan.

Hari Raya Puasa falls on April 10 in Singapore.

It was reported that very heavy traffic was expected at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints in the lead-up to Thursday, March 28.

Traffic will continue to be very heavy until Sunday, April 14.

Top photos via @muthammah2124 TikTok