Peak-hour business at Mr H.P. Yeo's restaurant has dipped by 15 per cent. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM

When he saw an ERP gantry going up in New Bridge Road outside his shop, Mr H.P. Yeo's heart sank. The owner of Song Fa Bak Kut Teh knew business would be hit.

It was: by 15 per cent since the gantry began operating on Monday.

'People will feel that it's not worth paying $5 in ERP charges just to come in for a meal,' he said, adding that they might have to pass several gantries between 6pm and 8pm to get to his shop.

Eight out of 20 businesses near the Singapore River gantries surveyed by The Sunday Times said they had seen profits fall. The rest said they had not been affected, but that it was too early to tell.

Hardest hit were restaurants relying on the dinner crowd between 6pm and 9pm.

Riverwalk Tandoor restaurant in Upper Circular Road said sales between 6pm and 8pm had fallen by about 20 per cent last week.

ERP seems to be on customers' minds. They often ask the staff when its operation hours end.

But the Land Transport Authority has said the gantries are necessary to effectively manage congestion - and help businesses remain competitive in the long run.

Vietnamese restaurant Pho Lan in Prinsep Street, for one, has seen a 20 per cent rise in customers between 8pm and 9pm, after the ERP is lifted.