Is it legal to walk across the Causeway? Newly installed sign reignites discussion

KUALA LUMPUR/JOHOR BAHRU – Are you allowed to cross the Causeway on foot? The answer, it appears, depends on who you ask.

The Malaysian authorities told The Straits Times that they are stepping up efforts to remind pedestrians that walking along the entire stretch of the Johor-Singapore Causeway is prohibited.

However, the Singapore authorities maintain that there are no specific rules prohibiting walking “on the Singapore side of the Causeway”.

Discussions over whether it is legal to cross the Causeway on foot surfaced online recently, after the Malaysian authorities installed a new “no walking” sign near their checkpoint.

Some netizens questioned the timing of the installation since some daily cross-border commuters have been regularly walking across the Causeway as a last resort to beat peak-hour congestion.

ST understands that the sign may have been installed after a spate of accidents involving pedestrians on the Causeway in recent months.

One Causeway, two rules?

An international boundary line near the middle of the 1.05km Causeway divides the bridge between the two countries.

The boundary is clearly marked by two yellow boxes, as well as a change in the language used for road markings – “bus” and “car” on the Singapore side, and “bas” and “kereta” on the Malaysia one.

A January 2009 report by ST said the Malaysian authorities prohibited walking across the Causeway after the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex opened in December 2008, for security reasons.

Responding to ST queries on April 15, the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) reaffirmed that walking along the Causeway is strictly prohibited – in either direction.

“LLM, together with PLUS Malaysia Berhad as the concessionaire company for this highway, would like to inform that users are not allowed to walk along the Johor Causeway, whether from the Malaysian border to Singapore or from the Singapore border to Malaysia,” it said.

This measure is for safety reasons and to prevent trespassing, it added.

“Walking along the Johor Causeway not only is dangerous for users, but also violates the established regulations. Therefore, users are advised to use the available public transportation services, such as buses, to travel between Malaysia and Singapore to ensure their safety.”

Under Malaysian law, those who violate traffic signs may be fined between RM300 (S$100) and RM2,000.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority told ST: “There are currently no changes to pedestrians’ access on foot on the Singapore side of the Causeway.”

This means that while pedestrian movement is not actively facilitated, there is no new prohibition introduced by the Singapore authorities.

Why is walking on the Causeway risky?

There is a pavement from Woodlands Checkpoint to the foot of a highway ramp that leads to the BSI.

The new “no walking” sign is installed at the end of this pavement, on the Malaysian side of the Causeway.

Beyond that point, pedestrians would have to walk on the road shoulder to get to the BSI.

At the BSI, a signboard next to the roads leading to Singapore reads: “The route beyond Bangunan Sultan Iskandar towards Woodlands via the Johor Causeway is a restricted area for pedestrians. Any accidents are at your own risk.”

So why are people still walking on the Causeway?

In practice, however, thousands of Malaysians walk across the Causeway daily to escape traffic congestion at peak hours, although it is unclear what the exact numbers are.

Overall, it is estimated that more than 300,000 Malaysians travel to Singapore daily for work or school, making the Causeway one of the world’s busiest land borders.

Most of them rely on chartered or public buses.

There is also a Keretapi Tanah Melayu Tebrau Shuttle train service connecting JB Sentral and Woodlands.

Those who cross the Causeway on foot told ST that they are aware of Malaysia’s rules, but sometimes turn to walking to save time and avoid being late for work.

“During peak hours, the current bus capacity is simply unable to cope with the overwhelming volume of people,” Johorean commuter Loo Yong Tat told ST, adding that the bus queue is usually “very long” during peak hours.

Because of this, he said, and “coupled with severe traffic jams, many commuters find themselves stuck at the checkpoint, unable to move forward or turn back”.

Mr Andrew Chen Kah Eng, assemblyman for Johor’s Stulang constituency, said in a Facebook post on April 13 that he has “repeatedly proposed” the construction of a covered pedestrian walkway on the Causeway – without success.

“I still hope that the governments of both Malaysia and Singapore will seriously consider it, so that in the future, people will have an additional safe option to cross the border besides the RTS (Rapid Transit System) and buses,” he said.