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Heavy traffic likely at checkpoints over Labour Day long weekend

Those heading to Malaysia over the upcoming Labour Day long weekend should expect traffic snarls at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints from Friday to next Tuesday.

Travellers entering Malaysia by car could face wait times of up to three hours during peak periods, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Thursday, advising those travelling by car or bus to take into account a longer wait for immigration clearance.

These wait times are similar to those before the pandemic.

Over the Good Friday long weekend from April 6 to 9, close to 1.4 million travellers crossed the land checkpoints, averaging about 350,000 crossings per day, said the ICA. It had earlier said that more than 235,000 people left Singapore through the land checkpoints on April 6 itself.

Coupled with “continuous tailbacks” from Malaysia, there were also long queues of passengers and cars waiting to clear departure a day before the start of that long weekend, the ICA added.

“Motorists are reminded to refrain from queue cutting, as it can cause severe congestion and compromise the safety of other motorists,” said the ICA, urging motorists to observe traffic rules, maintain lane discipline and cooperate with officers on-site.

It advised motorists to check the traffic situation at both checkpoints on the Land Transport Authority’s OneMotoring website, or the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System installed on the Bukit Timah Expressway and Ayer Rajah Expressway, before embarking on their journey.

To facilitate immigration clearance and improve travellers’ experience without compromising security, the ICA rolled out several initiatives, like the installation of 64 additional automated gates at the immigration bus halls at the land checkpoints in 2022.

This allows more bus travellers to clear immigration through the automated lanes, freeing up more officers for deployment to car and motorcycle zones, where more support is required to manage traffic congestion.

To prevent drivers from using the motorcycle lane to jump ahead of the queue of cars along the viaduct leading into Woodlands Checkpoint, the two lanes on the viaduct have recently been demarcated with continuous double white lines between them, the ICA said on April 4.

Enforcement cameras have been installed along the viaduct to identify cars that violate traffic rules by crossing the double white lines. Those caught will face a fine of $150 and four demerit points.

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