|
FASTER RIDE: Commuters and drivers say there is noticeable difference in travel time now. -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
|
MOTORISTS had better think twice about nipping into the new full-day bus-only lanes in the Central Business District (CBD).
In just two days, 37 errant motorists have been caught in these no-go zones by camera-equipped buses servicing the area.
Among the many bus services plying the 11 full-day bus lanes there, 90 SBS Transit ones have these 'roving eyes' on board, and bus captains have been putting them on 'record' mode to catch bus lane violaters.
The CBD's full-day bus lanes and camera-equipped buses began operation on Monday. By the end of Tuesday, 37 motorists had been caught on video, compared with the 14 caught by the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) roving traffic wardens the same two days in these 11 bus lanes.
The videos of the 37 motorists will be sent to LTA, which will determine whether to issue summons.
Bus drivers and commuters told The Straits Times that the difference in travel time was noticeable, even though the scheme is barely a week old.
Bus driver Ng Leong Kuan, 51, said: 'Roads along places like Lau Pa Sat and the NTUC building have always been congested. But over the last few days, I haven't seen cars parked illegally in the bus lanes.'
Bus driver Wong Seng Chow, 24, said the number of drivers blocking his way in the bus lanes has gone down to two a day, from nearly 10 on some days.
Commuter Darrelle Eng, 23, has noticed that her usual 50-minute bus journey home from the CBD to Balestier has taken 10 minutes less this week, though she was unaware of the new scheme.
The account executive, speaking as a driver, added that the cameras would be a 'big deterrent' for her, in that 'I won't take the chance of using a bus lane if I think it will be filmed'.
Fellow commuter Kim Hoon, 31, who works in the Suntec area, did not notice big changes in her travel time, but conceded that the scheme was in its early days.
The CBD's 11 new bus lanes are part of a total of 23km of full-day bus lanes and 150km of normal bus lanes to be rolled out in phases by year's end. Some possible locations for these lanes include Serangoon Road, Jalan Besar, Robinson Road, Commonwealth Avenue and Simei Avenue.
hxinyi@sph.com.sg
|
