Travellers rather walk 36 mins on Causeway to JB on Friday night in monsoon rain than take bus due to crowds

Travellers using the Causeway land crossing to get from Singapore to Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Friday night, Jan. 10 were battered by the monsoon rain.

And an immense human jam.

So much so, those who attempted to get from Singapore to Malaysia at night opted to simply walk across the Causeway, where the journey on foot took about 36 minutes, according to one person who successfully made it across.

The reason?

The problem of crowds continuously building up at the checkpoints as they waited for buses appeared insurmountable.

Friday nights are typically when Malaysians return back home for the weekend having spent the weekdays working in Singapore.

The overcrowded conditions could be compounded by other travellers headed north for leisure purposes, such as those who make the trip to eat and shop for the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities.

Situation on Friday night

Photos and videos shared on social media showed the extent of the crowding.

By 8:45pm, the crowds had extended to the sheltered walkway outside the Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

Crowds appeared to be both arriving and departing from the bus stop.

Those who approached the checkpoint building had to contend with crowds jostling to enter, with many spilling over onto the sidewalk with and without umbrellas in tow.

Crowds were even seen standing on the escalators.

Many still arrived at checkpoint close to midnight

One commenter wrote on Facebook at about 10:15pm that the queue at Kranji MRT station was "very very bad" with people still arriving there two hours before midnight.

He added that they "better be prepared to take four to six hours to get home if they are still at Kranji".

According to Google Maps, the distance to walk from Singapore to JB is about 1.6km to 1.8km minimally.

The trek involves walking on the Causeway by utilising the side of roads that are used by vehicles to drive into the checkpoint on Malaysia's side.

As seen in the photos, those who ventured on foot were pelted by the monsoon rain.

Vehicular traffic into Malaysia was also reportedly slow-moving on Friday night.

One woman recounted on Facebook on Saturday afternoon that her son took more than four hours to get home in Malaysia.

He started his journey from Bukit Batok in Singapore on Friday at 9pm and only reached home in Johor at 1:15am.

While many managed to make it across, some opted to simply return to Singapore, daunted by the wet weather and human traffic, according to at least one commenter.

Top photos via Hong Travel & Terrance Teh