Originally Posted by nov11

I have driven in a few countries and I'd say Malaysia is one of the better developing countries to drive in (especially long distance).

Once you leave the major metropolitan areas of KL/Penang, it's a breeze to drive in unless you are caught in holiday traffic. Malaysia has well-maintained highways and signs and Malaysian drivers are generally good outside the city. If you insist on driving in KL (if you want to take a day trip to the suburbs etc.), just be prepared for aggressive drivers.

Also, I think you'd get to Butterworth a lot faster by train than driving (you'll lose flexibility on checking out some stops in between tho). Just be aware that there are automated speeding cameras (AES) along the North South Expressway to/from Penang and those tickets are pricey (google them for the camera's location).



Oppps on (the equivalent of) right turn on red in Malaysia Been doing that all the time

Depends which part of the US you drive in. I'd say LA doesn't give pedestrians the right of way either

Originally Posted by txflyer77

+1 to this. Georgetown has VERY compact roads. I wouldn't try to drive through the heritage area, though the roads out towards Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi much more modern (read: wider).

Originally Posted by SilverChris

Not quite as civilised (or predictable) as what you'd find in most western countries. The roads may not be as nicely designed, many motorists treat traffic rules as suggestions, and many practices are different from what you'd find in North America.

For instance, pedestrians don't get the right of way, you can't make the equivalent of a right turn on red, motorcyclists can be erratic (hit one and you're in big trouble), and parking can be quite random (i.e, almost anywhere you like, even if it blocks an entire lane of a busy road). Plus, Malaysia and Singapore drive on the left

You might survive driving in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore which are more civilised, but I wouldn't try it in Georgetown unless you're used to such driving conditions.

KL and Georgetown are quite easy to navigate around without a car. Uber and Grabcar (the SE Asian competitor) are reliable and quite cheap. Getting between SIN, KUL and PEN is quite easy by train, bus or flight. I wouldn't rent a car from SIN to KUL as cross-border rentals can be quite expensive.