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The Straits Times </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="15">
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Speed demons terrorising residents at Sin Ming <!-- TITLE : end--> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" height="15">
SPEED demons have been terrorising residents along a quiet stretch of Sin Ming Road. Come midnight, they tear down the street, one after another, stealing sleep from residents. It so infuriated one that he wrote to The Straits Times forum last week. Said rugby coach Leon Stewart, 40: "It's not a busy road, especially after midnight. There aren't a lot of cars."
It does not help matters that the 500m stretch of tarmac is straight and well-lit, making it perfect to take a car on a fast spin. These episodes, however, do not have a fixed frequency, according to him. On some weeks, the fast cars roar into action every other night. On other occasions, the road stays silent.
Sin Ming Road has not been marked as a hot spot for illegal racers, said a police spokesman. In fact, the majority of the summons issued in the area are likely to be for parking offences. However, the Traffic Police said it has been conducting periodic enforcement operations in Sin Ming Road. Mr Stewart said the cars that ply the road are usually souped-up sports models, such as the Subaru Impreza and the Mitsubishi Evolution.
"It gets pretty bad. They use a full-on exhaust system, which is really loud," he added. Other residents said it is not likely that these speedsters are using the stretch of road for racing, as it falls short, literally, compared to other popular haunts. One is the so-called Orchard Gudang, a take on Johor's famous Pasir Gudang racing circuit.
The homegrown 'circuit', where racers zoom past landmarks in Orchard Road and the Esplanade area, is slightly more than 3.8km. Residents believe that Sin Ming Road is being used to test-drive cars from the nearby workshops. The area is home to many auto workshops. Mr Hri Kumar Nair, Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, which includes the Sin Ming area, said he was aware of the complaints and had informed the Traffic Police.
"Such activities should not be allowed. It's very dangerous," he added. Last year, the Traffic Police issued an island-wide total of 170,000 summonses for speeding, up from 2008's number of 160,000. Those caught can be fined $2,000 or jailed six months. They may also lose their driving licence.
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