Heavy traffic expected at S'pore-M'sia crossings during March holidays
Those planning to travel to Malaysia during the upcoming March school holidays should factor in additional waiting time, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on March 4.
The agency said it expects “very heavy traffic” at both the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints between March 8 and 18.
ICA advised motorists to check the traffic situation at both checkpoints and refrain from queue-cutting as it can “cause severe congestion and compromise the safety of other motorists”.
Errant motorists caught queue-cutting will be turned away and made to re-queue.
ICA advised motorists driving foreign vehicles to ensure their vehicle entry permit (VEP) is valid.
The agency added that it no longer accepts applications for the permit at checkpoints as doing so impedes traffic flow.
Drivers of foreign vehicles who do not have a valid Autopass card, the VEP approval e-mail from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) or valid insurance will be turned back.
Those wanting to find out more about the VEP can visit LTA’s OneMotoring website for more details.
ICA also reminded drivers of foreign vehicles to settle any outstanding fines they may have. Those with outstanding fines may be denied entry into Singapore.
They can pay their fines online via AXS kiosks, the AXS website, the AXS mobile app, PayNow and the relevant agencies’ e-services websites.
For offline options, they can go to the relevant agencies’ customer service counters or SingPost outlets.
Those who wish to seek clarification on their offences may contact the relevant government bodies, including the Singapore Police Force (Traffic Police), Housing Board, LTA, National Environment Agency, and Urban Redevelopment Authority.
During the recent Chinese New Year long weekend between Feb 8 and 13, there were more than 2.33 million crossings at the land checkpoints, ICA added.
The figure amounted to an average of almost 390,000 travellers crossing the checkpoints daily, a 35 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2023.
Some travellers who left by car had to wait up to three hours to clear immigration, as there was a long tailback from Malaysian immigration.
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