Road closures, enhanced security measures for Marina Bay countdown

Road closures and enhanced security measures will be in place to ensure the safety and security of the public during the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2024 held on Dec 31 to the early hours of Jan 1, 2024.

The police are expecting large crowds to join in New Year’s Eve festivities around the Marina Bay area. In 2022, the authorities said a crowd of up to 500,000, similar to pre-pandemic numbers, was expected to turn up in the area.

Police officers, auxiliary police officers and security officers will be deployed to manage crowds at different locations in the vicinity of Marina Bay, said the police in a statement on Dec 26.

Officers from Police Land Divisions, Special Operations Command, Protective Security Command, Public Transport Security Command, Police Coast Guard, Traffic Police, Emergency Response Teams and Aerial Response Team will also be conducting enhanced patrols during this period.

For the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023, more than 700 police officers were deployed. The police did not say how may officers will be deployed for the 2024 countdown.

To prevent overcrowding, the number of people entering certain areas will be regulated by the police. These include The Promontory, One Fullerton, Merlion Park, Esplanade Park, Esplanade Waterfront Promenade and Marina Bay Sands Waterfront Promenade. Entry into these areas will be stopped once capacity has reached planned safety thresholds.

Certain entrances and exits at MRT stations around the Marina Bay area will also be closed, to regulate crowd flow, and trains may bypass overcrowded stations to divert people away from congested areas.

City Hall, Raffles Place and Bayfront MRT stations are expected to be very crowded and the public is encouraged to use other stations nearby such as Esplanade, Promenade, Downtown and Marina Bay.

Revellers in the area are advised to make use of the Crowd@MarinaBay live map, which provides information such as real-time crowd levels, closures around Marina Bay and available routes to the area before the festivities.

The map is available at go.gov.sg/crowd-at-marina-bay from 6pm on Dec 31.

The dispersal of revellers after the event is also likely to be slow due to large crowds. To facilitate safe and orderly dispersal, there will be designated routes out of Marina Bay and signage will be put up to guide the public.

The police said members of the public may also be directed to another MRT station nearby to avoid overcrowding at certain stations.

Overcrowding has become a key concern during the festive period since the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush in October 2022. An estimated 100,000 revellers had squeezed into the popular nightlife area in Seoul, South Korea, causing a crush that left more than 150 dead.

The police added that security personnel may conduct checks on bags and personal items. Members of the public are also advised to be vigilant against molesters and pickpockets.

Road closures

To facilitate the countdown event, some roads and lanes will be closed to all vehicular traffic during certain times.

From 6pm to 11pm:

• Extreme left lane of Fullerton Road in the direction of Collyer Quay (between Esplanade Drive and Collyer Quay)
• Extreme left lane of Collyer Quay in the direction of Raffles Quay (between Fullerton Road and Marina Boulevard)

From 6pm to 2am:

• Bayfront Avenue (between Temasek Avenue and lamp post 34F)
• Esplanade Drive in the direction of Fullerton Road (between Stamford Road and Collyer Quay)
• Fullerton Road (between lamp post 18F and Esplanade Drive)

From 10pm to 11pm:

• Temasek Avenue in the direction of Bayfront Avenue (between Raffles Avenue and Raffles Boulevard)

From 10pm to 2am:

• Marina Boulevard (between Raffles Quay and Bayfront Avenue)
• Raffles Avenue (between Nicoll Highway and Temasek Avenue)
• Extreme right lane of Marina Way (between Marina Boulevard and Central Boulevard)

From 11pm to 2am:

• Extreme left lane of Finlayson Green
• Fullerton Road (between Esplanade Drive and Collyer Quay)
• Collyer Quay (between Fullerton Road and Marina Boulevard)
• Fullerton Square
• Battery Road
• Esplanade Drive
• Nicoll Highway (between Raffles Boulevard and Raffles Avenue)
• Temasek Avenue (between Raffles Boulevard and Raffles Avenue)
• The slip road leading from Raffles Boulevard into Raffles Avenue
• Republic Boulevard in the direction of Raffles Avenue (between Raffles Boulevard and Republic Avenue)

Members of the public are advised to take public transport to the Marina Bay as parking spaces in the area are expected to be limited.

Auxiliary police officers will be stationed at all affected road junctions to regulate traffic and assist motorists.

Parking or stopping of vehicles at peripheral roads along East Coast Parkway to watch the fireworks is strictly not allowed.

Bus route diversions

Due to the road closures, some bus services will be affected. From 11.30pm on Dec 31 to 12.30am on Jan 1, 2024, five bus services operated by SBS Transit – 13, 16, 134, 150 and 196 – will skip bus stops along Marine Crescent, Marine Parade Road, Marine Terrace and Telok Kurau Road.

From 6pm on Dec 31 to the end of bus operations, 15 SBS Transit bus services – 10, 14, 16, 56, 57, 70M, 100, 111, 130, 131, 133, 195, 196, 400 and 502 -– will be diverted progressively to travel on alternative routes and skip bus stops along Bayfront Avenue, Beach Road and those in the vicinity of the Civic District.

SMRT bus services 960, 960e and 961M will also skip some bus stops in areas including Bras Basah Road and Raffles Avenue.

There will also be temporary route diversions for Tower Transit bus services 77, 97, 106, 167 and 857 on Dec 31.

Members of the public are reminded not to fly any unmanned aircraft, such as drones, in the Marina Bay countdown area.

Suspicious people and activities should be reported to the Internal Security Department on 1800-2626-473 or to the police at 999 or SMS to 71999. Information can also be provided to the authorities via the SGSecure App.