bicycle tolls Woodlands custom Archives

Cycling to JB (Johor)

Cycling to JB is easy. It is faster than the long queue of cars!

The no1 question from friends is always
“Is it safe to cycle in Malaysia?”

Our Fun Cycling to JB clip (YouTube link)

Many well-intentioned friends will share why Johor cycling can be dangerous. My recommendation is to get first-hand feedback from those who have actually cycled across the causeway, then form your own opinion.

There is a certain element of risk in whatever we contemplate. Find a reliable and experienced partner to explore together. Start small, then expand your playground.

Referring image below, me and kakis have already covered Legoland, Forest City and Pekan Nanas. Next up will be cycling to Pontian, Melaka, Desaru…

There will be incidents, there will be punctures and falls. These are part and parcel of adventures. We manage the risks and adapt accordingly.

Today’s post will focus on what you can EAT and SEE within 3 hours 15km in JB downtown (JB is short for Johor Bahru ).

You will notice that 90% of the F&B are clustered together (refer Google Map F&B stops here)

Met up kakis at Esso Woodlands. Both of them have not crossed the causeway on two wheels yet.

The car jam is horrible during school holidays. Cyclists can always overtake them.

Novelty for cyclists to take a photo at the midpoint of causeway. The “container” behind is a temporary toilet (life saver for those dreaded car jams).

The attractions and F&B venues might not be listed in order or proximity.
Do Google Map and identify their respective locations.

Sultan’s Grand Palace (one of many). Singapore has an identical one at Nassim.

Zero Kilometre. We heard many cities have their own marker to indicate the start of a journey or adventure.

Many folks (especially Singaporeans) will take photos at this Red building (Marry Brown wording).

Just across the road, you must try the old school wanton noodle at Kedai Kopi Xuu Yau.

The famous Kam Long Curry Fish Head. The shop front is super indiscreet.

Banana cake shop which needs no introduction. Just expect long queue :p

Some shops open later. Would be returning to try TIP The Ice Cream Project. Too many options for JB cafes hopping.

Which chicken chop is nicer? IT Roo or Hwa Mui? If you are heading to Hwa Mui, get a seat on the 2nd storey.

We pop by a newly landscaped stretch next to Jalan Wong Ah Fook.
Gone are the black smelly drain.

You have flowing streams and even fishes now!
This is already a big improvement over yesteryears.

We are spoilt for choices as we had lunch at Restoran Ya Wang (鸭皇). Love the 当归 (herbal dang1 gui1) succulent duck! Moist and juicy.

After a fulfilling 3 hours, we are ready to head home.
We could not stay longer because our stomachs were full!

Newbies can always navigate to Pasar Malam CIQ !
(I am not sure whether this pasar malam is for real)

*Below route is safer for first timers. Route 1 would be dangerous and stressful for newbies.

Follow Hospital Aminah direction (Danga Bay) towards “Pasar Malam CIQ”

Anyway, just follow the motorbike lane. I have shared the tips at this blog post (cycling to Legoland and Pekan Nanas) and YouTube (First 4 minutes and from 8 minutes onward).

At SG Custom, follow the red colour signage “Manual”. The other motorcycle lanes are for those with “Auto-pass” (ie with COEs).

Cyclists who get into the Auto-pass lanes will be asked to Uturn.

In June, the KTM trains between Singapore and Johor are running again!
KTM website has been revamped but the booking steps are still the same.

I hope to bring my foldie aboard the train one day, so that I can explore far flung corners like Kluang.

Refer our previous train experience between Singapore and Johor (booking tickets Woodlands and 2010 Tanjong Pagar)

Through cycling, you realised how BIG is Johor!
For average speed of 20kmh, a normal cyclist might cover up to 150km within a day.

50km ride in Singapore might be equivalent to 75km in Johor . You can expect more bridges and slopes in Malaysia. Factor in more time if you are scaling up hills and mountains.

If it helps, do take note that many bridges await you for the return trip. Climb baby climb!

One day, I hope to cover Round Island Malaysia.
That would require about 11, 12 days (100km ride per day).

Meanwhile, you may read about other cycling trips below:
– Cycle to Pekan Nanas and Legoland
– JB food hunt (3 hours 30km)
– Cycle to Forest City
– Cycle to Pontian (笨珍)
– Cycle to Elephant Rock (Bukit Batu Gajah)
– Cycling to Malacca (3D2N)
– Cycle to KL (2023 5D4N)
–2018 Cycling Hualien to Taitung (with two kiddos)

*Do follow our cycling adventures here -> https://sengkangbabies.com/tag/cycling

YouTube: 3 Hours in JB. Eat, see and Experience

YouTube: Chill at Pontian 笨珍

YouTube :Cycling to Forest City and boat ride (my best Johor trip yet)

YouTube: Cycling to Elephant Rock (Bukit Batu Gajeh)

YouTube: cycling to Malacca

YouTube:Cycling to Putuo Village

YouTube:2023 Cycle to KL (5D4N)

Cycle to Desaru and Sedili

Cycle East Coast Kuantan, Kelantan, Titiwangsa, Betong, Penang (preview)
Cycling In Taiwan (250km from Hualien to Taitung)

ps.. every 2nd Saturday is Cars-Free Day in downtown JB between 0700 to 1000 (to confirm again)

Cycle to Malaysia – Pekan Nanas and Legoland

Cycle to Malaysia and your playground upsized from 700km2 to 330,000km2. Yes, Malaysia is 400x bigger than Singapore!

The idea of cycling to Malaysia never crossed my mind. Primary reason could be road safety concerns.

Image credit FB “Cycling SG to Malaysia”

I will be sharing my cycling experiences from Pekan Nanas and Legoland in this post. And I can confirm Malaysian drivers (motorbikes, cars and even trucks) are more accommodating towards the vulnerable cyclists!

*Do go to the end for video of my JB eat and see (in 3 hours)

For those interested to explore Malaysia cycling itinerary, pop over to Facebook group ‘Cycling SG to Malaysia’. They are organising free cycling events, with volunteer leaders and sweepers, but event slots are always in hot demand!

My virgin trip brought me to the town of pineapples “Pekan Nanas“.

Bicycles can only use Booth 1 for manual passport processing

In case you are wondering, Tuas Causeway is off-limits to bicycles as both ends are expressway and highway.

The 1st assembly spot is at the middle of causeway. You can take EPIC Sunrise photos here!

After the photos, team can climb up the bridge towards Malaysian Customs.

Cyclists with slim tyres have to watch out for the drain cover gaps. Do follow the red marking (photo below) to enter the “manual” booths.

Second assembly spot would be after Malaysia custom, somewhere here (GPS 1.466946, 103.768354).

This is where the real Fun starts 🙂

We took the coastal loop towards Danga Bay. And the dark clouds chased us for a good 20 minutes!

I wish Singapore’s Shell 95 price will dip below $3 in the near future 🙁

Breakfast was at Skudai area, near Sutera Mall (popular spot with Singaporeans). We normally drive here for brunch, but two wheels are much cooler.

Not sure whether you are ready for Johor ride? We share a few tips:

1) Road confidence (You must have some road experience in Singapore)

2) Recommend cyclists covered at least 80km before (Johor has more slopes and bridges)

You will notice that Malaysian motorists are more accommodating and patient than Singapore drivers.

Malaysian motorists will wait (or slow down) for cyclists to clear junctions, change lanes or even roundabouts!

Kudos and thank you Malaysians for your patience.

Let us carry on with our Pekan Nanas pineapple adventure 🙂

Only tourists will do the pineapple pose haha (pineapple landmark infront of Public Bank).

As you cycle Westward, Pontian and Kukup (SEAFOOD!) is beckoning. And Tuas Causeway is so much nearer than Woodlands Causeway.

Cycle to Malaysia, today Johor, tomorrow Melaka and Desaru.

Map below indicates estimated km from Bukit Indah. These spots are on my wishlist, example Forest City and Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia (not Sentosa).

Delicious dim sum lunch at Tasixi 大四喜 and we met Chef Eric too.

I would recommend newbies to ride along Danga Bay coast (ie follow directions to Hospital Aminah, then route 52, J1). Road is wider and there is less traffic.

*The stretch along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak (Route or Highway 1)back to Woodlands custom is sandy, narrow and packed with vehicles (ie Stress!)

Group is ready to roll back to Singapore. Our Pekan Nanas group consists of 30 cyclists, split into two groups.

Lots of fun and novelty for the cyclists, we went through two showers too. Many in the group were newbies at custom, but we brought back fond memories.

Just follow the motorcycle lane.

Sharing some photos from my Legoland trip 28May2022

This was the first time I led a cycling group into Johor. I was quite apprehensive but felt a huge sense of accomplishment too.

You have to ensure that everyone can keep pace and hopefully not bring them go “Holland”.

The actual distance in Malaysia (to & fro) from customs to Legoland is about 60km (This is peanuts for those who have completed RTI in Singapore).

Crossing both Singapore and Malaysia customs on our bikes is worth a toast! A novelty for most of the kakis.

Credit kakis ( Part of the Crius foldie family)

Imagine the excitement when we spot Legoland Hotel over the horizon. Mission achieved 🙂

I cannot remember when was the last time I brought my kids here. They have since outgrown Lego bricks. Revisiting this epic hotel on two wheels, brings back a sense of dejavu!

Artistic sculptures at Puteri Harbour (we did not visit Hello Kitty).

Do expect puncture/s among the group. Touch wood, but the probability is too high to ignore! Bring tube for your own tyre size.

Khass Bicycles seems to be a popular pit stop for shopping. I have no idea about price comparison between Singapore and Malaysia.

Cold dessert at Yong Yong Dessert, which is 100m from Khass Bicycles.

Always Safety first. We strive to enter and leave Malaysia as a group, looking out for each other. This trip has given me the confidence to explore more of Malaysia.

Should I cycle to Malaysia? where should I start?

For those interested to explore Johor on two wheels, do join Facebook group “Cycling SG to Malaysia” first. Do look out for future events to Desaru, Pontian, Melaka! Link up with friendly and helpful community for peer to peer knowledge sharing.

Like-minded cyclists are only interested to cycle, chill and eat (maybe share “poisons” too). You might find buddies to embark on the next multi-day cycling adventure.

For newbies, your team will have a leader/captain and a sweeper. Leader will navigate and pull the team along, while sweeper ensures no one is left behind.

SHOUTOUT to sweepers Alan and Kiara for ensuring no one is left behind. Our ride would not be successful and safe without the hardworking sweepers !

*1) Step by step tips to cross Singapore Malaysia custom, refer Richard’s link (Take note no photography and video inside customs area)

*2)YouTube crossing Singapore Malaysia customs (Clips from Rueben and Alan). This will help you visualise the next turns and boost your confidence (I still hate the humps!)

3)Reference my cycling planning itinerary Gsheet here (Many items were first shared from Facebook group)

4) Open my Legoland Gpx (Google Map), and just follow turn by turn to Nusajaya

5) Updated 11 June 2022 – 3 Hours in JB. Eat, see and Experience

YouTube: Chill at Pontian 笨珍

YouTube: Cycling to Elephant Rock (Bukit Batu Gajeh)

YouTube: cycling to Malacca

YouTube:Cycling to Putuo Village

YouTube:2023 Cycle to KL (5D4N)

Cycle to Desaru and Sedili

Cycle East Coast Kuantan, Kelantan, Titiwangsa, Betong, Penang (preview)

Cycling In Taiwan (250km from Hualien to Taitung)

Additional tips:
– Always SAFETY first! Take care of each other

– My Sejahtera app (similar to SG’s traceTogether) is no longer needed, but do print out hardcopy vaccination status from https://www.notarise.gov.sg or HealthHub (just in case)

– Bicycles no need to pay toll, and Touch & Go cards are optional

– Not everyone might wish to cycle to start point at Woodlands custom. The nearest carpark could be at Marsiling Blk 22 (S730022)

– After your JB spin, cyclists can take the train from Kranji MRT

*Do follow our cycling adventures here -> https://sengkangbabies.com/tag/cycling

Not sure whether you are ready for Johor ride? We share a few tips:

~~Sharing some photos from my Legoland trip 28May2022 ~~

Should I cycle to Malaysia? where should I start?

Sharing some photos from my Legoland trip 28May2022