BUTTERWORTH: When 34-year-old Sasha set off from her home in Selangor just before midnight yesterday, she anticipated a smooth drive back to her hometown in Penang.

What was usually a four-hour journey turned into a grueling 10-hour crawl for Sasha.

"My husband and I opted to travel at night, thinking the roads would be clear, but we were wrong," she said.

"There were so many cars, and road maintenance was going on in several places. We left at 11pm and didn’t arrive at my parents’ house until 9am. This is the first time I've faced such heavy congestion."

Sasha was among the tens of thousands who took advantage of the long weekend to travel.

"With the school holidays coinciding with the Hari Malaysia and Maulidur Rasul holidays, we thought it was the perfect time for a family trip," she added.

Earlier, social media posts about the gridlock at the Penang Bridge toll plaza went viral, with some motorists reportedly waiting nearly two hours just to access the island.

Meanwhile, others shared their relief at avoiding the traffic by using the Electric Train Service (ETS) to Penang.

"Initially, I planned to drive, but since it was just a short trip, I booked ETS tickets two weeks ago and avoided the jam," one social media user posted.