One dead, two injured in Second Link accident

Police arrest lorry driver; early morning incident led to traffic jam lasting more than three hours

Yesterday's accident affected the bus and lorry lane on the Second Link bridge. Motorcyclists say riding along the bridge to Tuas Checkpoint can be dangerous, especially when there is heavy traffic.
Yesterday's accident affected the bus and lorry lane on the Second Link bridge. Motorcyclists say riding along the bridge to Tuas Checkpoint can be dangerous, especially when there is heavy traffic. PHOTO: STOMP

An accident along the Second Link towards the Tuas Checkpoint early yesterday morning left one motorcyclist dead and two others injured, and caused a massive traffic jam that lasted more than three hours.

Two motorcycles and a lorry were involved in the accident, which the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said occurred at around 5.10am.

A 51-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said they have arrested a 45-year-old lorry driver - believed to be a Malaysian - for causing death by a negligent act.

Investigations are ongoing.

A 33-year-old male motorcyclist and his 32-year-old female pillion rider - both conscious - were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, police added.

All three motorcyclists are Malaysians.

Commuters travelling from Malaysia to Singapore said the incident, which affected the bus and lorry lane on the link bridge, caused a traffic snarl that lasted more than three hours.

The Straits Times understands that all three lanes on the bridge remained open to traffic - only the affected area where the accident took place was cordoned off.

An employee of Handal Indah, which runs the Causeway Link bus service between Johor and Singapore, said the accident affected about 20 services ferrying passengers from Johor Baru to Boon Lay and Jurong East bus interchanges.

Cargo goods driver Rajandran Ramasamy, 35, was caught in the jam when he drove in from Johor Baru at 5.30am.

He arrived in Singapore only at 9am; the journey took longer than his usual 45 minutes, he said.

"The traffic jam was really bad because of the accident. But my boss was understanding when I called to inform him about the delay," he added.

Motorcyclists who The Straits Times spoke to said riding along the bridge to Tuas Checkpoint can be dangerous, especially when there is heavy traffic.

A motorbike sales assistant, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ong, said this is because there are no dedicated lanes for motorcyclists.

"It gets very messy and dangerous when bigger vehicles like buses and cars try to cut lanes," said the 47-year-old, who travels from Johor Baru to work in Singapore daily.

"As motorcyclists, we have to watch out for ourselves," he added.

It took him 21/2 hours, instead of the usual 30 minutes, to reach his workplace in Toh Guan yesterday.

Mr Thomas Lim, 51, a hypnotherapist, said the stretch along the Second Link bridge is especially dangerous during peak hours.

The Malaysian lives and works in Singapore, but rides to Malaysia at least once a week for leisure.

"There's no lane... for motorcyclists (along the bridge) and we have to squeeze side-by-side with cars and heavy vehicles," he said.

"I believe something can be done to make things better for road users," he added.

"Perhaps the checkpoint authorities should work to allow motorcyclists to have faster clearance, so it doesn't jam up, and such accidents would be less likely to happen."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 07, 2016, with the headline One dead, two injured in Second Link accident. Subscribe