Road marking at Nicoll Highway becomes butt of jokes

A road marking along Sims Way, reading "Nicoll U'pass" drew laughter from netizens for its resemblance to the words "up ass". PHOTO: THE MONITOR SG FACEBOOK

SINGAPORE - While most motorists look out for road markings for directions, an unusual road marking along Sims Way drew attention from drivers for the wrong reasons.

The marking, which read "Nicoll U'pass", indicated the direction of a new underpass linking the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) to Nicoll Highway.

However the apostrophe separating the letters "U" and "P" was relatively small compared to the letters - leaving some motorists to read it as "up ass" instead.

A photo of the marking posted on the Facebook page of website The Monitor SG on Friday received more than 400 shares, drawing laughter from netizens.

"So much for the myth that Singapore is a conservative society," read one comment.

Motorist Mohammed Farhan was driving past the area on Friday with his wife when they spotted it.

"She had to do a double take when she saw it," said the 35-year-old commercial artist.

However, when The Straits Times visited the site on Monday, the road marking had been painted over to read "Nicoll H'way" instead.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said these were temporary markings and that they have been updated and replaced with new markings as motorists have become more familiar with the new road network.

Aimed at easing traffic congestion at the KPE's original Nicoll Highway exit, the $45 million underpass was completed last December.

However, its opening was held back to April 2 to minimise disruption to motorists.

Motorists coming from the KPE and Sims Way can use the two-lane, 300m underpass to head to Nicoll Highway or Stadium Drive.

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