SHOPS WITHOUT CUSTOMERS ARE NOW A COMMON SIGHT in Woodlands Centre Road Market. Businesses there have suffered a big drop in sales as shoppers, mostly Malaysians, are deterred by the traffic jams. -- ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

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This is how shop assistant K.F. Kwok describes the change in atmosphere at the Woodlands Centre Road market, with businesses affected badly by the massive traffic jams leading to the Woodlands Checkpoint.

Ever since Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari's escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27, security checks at the checkpoint have been tightened.

These include fingerprint scans for all adults and a full inspection of all vehicles entering and leaving the country.

The jams, sometimes lasting up to eight hours, have not only angered motorists but also the shopkeepers in five blocks - 1A to 5A - in Woodlands Centre Road. These four-storey blocks house a mix of shops and flats.

'This place is so quiet we can now bowl along the walkways,' Madam Kwok, 50, complained.

Inconveniences 'Here in Woodlands, the bulk of our business comes from Malaysians. Now that they are deterred by the jams, who is there to buy from us?' MRS TAN, whose provision shop's business has taken a very big hit ... more

Said Mr Deng Rong Hua, 73, who sells clothing in the Woodlands Centre Road market: 'I've lost some Malaysian customers because they dare not enter Singapore due to the jams.'

Malaysians make up half of his customers and he has suffered a 10 per cent drop in sales.

Another shopkeeper, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Tan, said her provision shop's business has taken a very big hit.

'Here in Woodlands, the bulk of our business comes from Malaysians. Now that they are deterred by the jams, who is there to buy from us?' she said.

Trucks ferrying supplies to the shops in Woodlands Centre Road have also been held up by the jams.

Said Mrs Tan: 'During the first week of the jams, I could not get my supplies. I now get my supplies on time only because I advise the drivers to come by the back road where there is no jam.'

She hopes that things will return to normal soon, noting that the jams have eased in the past three days.

Tenants in the food centre are also unhappy.

Hawker Noraishah Moemohetahir, who sells Muslim food, said the jams were the 'worst I've seen in my 25 years here'. She has suffered a 50 per cent dip in business.

Residents, too, are singing the blues.

Ms Nor Azura Sohami, who lives in a unit above the shops, is fed up with the 'endless honking' from angry motorists in the jam.

The 23-year-old single mum, who normally keeps her front door open, has taken to closing it to keep out the noise and pollution.

She also complained that 'none of the taxi drivers is willing to drive me home and the buses don't turn into our road anymore'.

SBS Transit corporate communications director Tammy Tan confirmed that the buses make a detour when the jam gets too bad.

The two affected bus services are 160 and 170.

Taxi driver Lim Cheng Her, 50, said that while he does not turn away Woodlands-bound passengers, he will try to drop them off 'at the nearest place where I can avoid the jam'.

Another cabby, who did not wish to be named, admitted that he made illegal turns in Woodlands Centre Road after dropping off his passengers.

'If we're stuck for more than two hours, how are we going to make enough to cover the day's rental?' he said.

For resident Pradeep Kumar, 40, it was his six-month-old baby's welfare that most concerned him.

'The honking starts as early as 3am and wakes my baby up. How is he supposed to sleep peace- fully?'

sameng@sph.com.sg