More safety protocols for set-up of peak-hour operations at Woodlands Checkpoint after accident

SINGAPORE - More safety protocols have been put in place for the setting up of peak-hour operations at Woodlands Checkpoint, following an accident that occurred on May 24.

The enhancements include the use of cones, reflector discs and blinker lights to more clearly indicate to motorists the lane where traffic flow has been reversed to accommodate the large number of arriving vehicles.

At about 5.30am on May 24, a Singapore-registered car heading towards Malaysia along the Causeway

collided head-on with a Malaysia-registered bus approaching Singapore.

The driver of the car and his three passengers were taken conscious to the hospital.

In a statement after the accident, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the accident happened before barriers were put in place to divert departing car traffic away from a lane that had the flow of traffic reversed to accommodate heavy vehicles arriving from Malaysia.

The changing of the flow of traffic at the departure lane is part of ICA’s contra-flow operations, which are initiated during peak periods to manage heavy traffic at the land border crossings.

After the accident, ICA also said it would undertake a full review of safety measures before restarting the contra-flow operations.

Following the safety pause, operations resumed on May 26 with the enhanced measures. The media was invited to observe operations on May 30.

At about 4pm, departing traffic at the checkpoint was halted to allow ICA officers to prepare to convert one of the three departing lanes into an arrival lane.

The departing lane that is converted is also known as a “flexi lane” that is used by vehicles exiting the cargo zone.

While usually meant for cargo vehicles heading to Malaysia, the zone can also be converted for cars to pass through when departing car traffic gets heavy.

Once the lane is converted, vehicles exiting the cargo zone would be directed to merge into the other two lanes.

As part of the new safety enhancements, safety barriers with blinker lights and cones marking out the end of the lane are set up about 20m further ahead to give motorists advance notice that they need to merge into the two remaining lanes.

During the media observation, six officers were involved in the setting up of the cones along the lane, some of which had reflector discs.

After the officers set up the cones, heavy vehicles coming from Malaysia were diverted into the lane at about 4.30pm, easing congestion that was building towards Singapore.

Speaking to the media on May 30, Senior Assistant Commissioner Maran Subrahmaniyan said that on weekends, more than one million travellers usually cross the borders through Singapore’s land checkpoints.

The commander of ICA’s Woodlands Command said that given the current infrastructural constraints and increasing travel volume – especially comprising cars and motorbikes – ICA has been leveraging technology to better monitor and manage traffic at the land checkpoints.

SAC Maran added: “Contra-flow operations at our side of the Causeway are part of our measures during daily peak hours to manage traffic congestion. We have enhanced the safety measures of our contra-flow operations to further increase visibility of the contra-flow lane.

“We have also put in place additional layers of checks to ensure safety protocols are in place before the contra-flow operations are activated.”