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SINGAPORE: Singapore is not the cause of heavy congestion at its two land checkpoints with Malaysia during long weekends or holiday seasons, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Friday (Sep 29).
On occasions, severe traffic tailback of cars entering Malaysia stretched from both of Malaysia’s checkpoints to Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, affecting waiting time and clearance at the Singapore side, added ICA in a media statement.
The agency was responding to media queries on comments by Malaysians that heavy congestion at land checkpoints during such peak periods is generally caused by Singapore. It said that such comments are “inaccurate”.
ICA also cautioned that it "cannot compromise security for speed", adding that it will continue to look at how to improve travellers' experience and work closely with its Malaysian counterparts to improve traffic conditions.
Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are among the busiest land crossings in the world. ICA said about 270,000 travellers pass through Woodlands Checkpoint daily and cross the Causeway to Johor Bahru.
Congestion at the land borders has been a long-standing issue, with members of the public often taking to social media to complain about long waiting times to clear immigration due to traffic snarls and crowds during peak periods.
In April, Johor’s chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi told CNA that the efficiency level on the Malaysian side of the Causeway must be raised to 100 per cent by 2023 to alleviate congestion. He also outlined manpower and technical problems as issues that authorities must overcome.
In July, Mr Onn Hafiz then said that the congestion issue at the land borders has improved after successful implementations of strategies to improve the traffic situation, including the deployment of more immigration officers to the Johor land checkpoints.
Earlier this month, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters that they have seen “big changes” and that Singapore must now “do its best to reduce the congestion”, according to a report by Malaysian news outlet The Star.
HOURS-LONG TAILBACK FROM MALAYSIA
In its statement on Friday, ICA noted that during the most recent long weekend from Aug 31 to Sep 4, there was “severe traffic tailback” stretching from both of Malaysia’s land checkpoints to Singapore’s.
This was when Singapore went to the polls to elect its next President. The week-long September school holidays also began on Sep 2.
A record number of more than 1.7 million travellers passed through Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during that long weekend, with more than 237,000 and 227,000 travellers departing on Aug 31 and Sep 1 respectively.
At the Causeway on Sep 1, which was Polling Day, the tailback of cars from Malaysia began at 9am and only subsided at 11.30pm, said ICA.
Tailback refers to a long queue of stationary or slow-moving traffic extending back from a busy junction or road obstruction.
At Tuas Second Link, traffic tailback began at 1pm and subsided at 7pm.
ICA said that cars could not clear Malaysia’s checkpoints fast enough, which prevented cars that had already cleared Singapore’s checkpoints from moving on towards Malaysia. This affected the waiting time and clearance on the Singapore side.
This also happened during other long weekends and holiday periods, the agency added.
ICA further pointed out that congestion is heavier on Singapore’s side on some days, with travellers commenting on social media about faster clearance times on Malaysia’s side.
“(They) observed that this is due to the different levels of checks at the respective checkpoints, as the Malaysian authorities conduct fewer checks than ICA,” it added.
“ICA needs to strike a balance between keeping our border secure on the one hand, and facilitating traveller and cargo movements on the other. Border security is important for Singapore, in particular, preventing the entry of smuggled, illegal, or undesirable persons and goods.”
THOROUGH CHECKS BASED ON RISK ASSESSMENT
ICA laid out how it conducts checks at the land borders, as well as its additional measures to ease congestion and manage traffic flow especially during long weekends and holiday periods.
“We perform thorough checks using technology, based on our risk assessment,” it said.
For example, multi-modal biometric scanning technology at bus halls and motorcycle lanes is used to detect foreigners with multiple or fake identities.
At car counters, ICA officers conduct face-to-face checks to ensure that travellers are the rightful holders of their travel documents. Travellers are also screened.
Officers will conduct additional checks, such as vehicle boot checks or security questioning, if they come across travellers behaving suspiciously.
When traffic congestion grows heavier, especially during peak periods like long weekends, ICA said it puts in place extra measures.
For example, it issued a travel advisory on Aug 28, warning of heavy traffic at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints leading up to and during the Aug 31 to Sep 4 long weekend.
Officers were moved from other clearance zones to boost manpower levels at the departure car zones, and the departure cargo clearance zone at Woodlands Checkpoint was converted to clear cars instead.
When CNA was at Woodlands Checkpoint just after 6pm on Friday, there was a tailback of cars stretching from Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ. This led to a buildup on the Bukit Timah Expressway that leads to the checkpoint, although traffic began to flow smoothly about two hours later.
At around 6.40pm, the lines of motorists and motorcyclists departing Singapore for Malaysia had slowed to a crawl at the counters. This was despite two zones for cars being converted to clear motorcycles due to the tailback.
Meanwhile, at the bus bays, crowds of travellers were getting on buses at a steady rate to cross the Causeway.
ICA said that it has observed more travellers going by bus at the land checkpoints since the start of 2023 due to several initiatives such as more automated lanes at the bus hall.
Now, 43 per cent of those who pass through Woodlands Checkpoint daily travel by bus, compared to 38 per cent in previous years.
During the evening peak hours, ICA now clears about 8,500 travellers per hour – up from 5,000 travellers before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
Among other measures to allay congestion, ICA added that it worked with the traffic police to enforce traffic rules and lane discipline. Errant motorists caught cutting queues were turned back to Singapore.
ICA worked with the Land Transport Authority and cross-border bus service providers such as SBS Transit and Causeway Link to increase the frequency of public buses. ICA also converted the automated arrival lanes at the bus hall for departure clearance.
“ICA will continue to study ways to enhance travellers’ experience and facilitate the movement of people and goods through our checkpoints, but we cannot compromise security for speed,” it said.
“We will continue to work closely with our Malaysian counterparts to improve traffic conditions.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...and-checkpoints-not-due-singapore-ica-3807811
On occasions, severe traffic tailback of cars entering Malaysia stretched from both of Malaysia’s checkpoints to Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, affecting waiting time and clearance at the Singapore side, added ICA in a media statement.
The agency was responding to media queries on comments by Malaysians that heavy congestion at land checkpoints during such peak periods is generally caused by Singapore. It said that such comments are “inaccurate”.
ICA also cautioned that it "cannot compromise security for speed", adding that it will continue to look at how to improve travellers' experience and work closely with its Malaysian counterparts to improve traffic conditions.
Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are among the busiest land crossings in the world. ICA said about 270,000 travellers pass through Woodlands Checkpoint daily and cross the Causeway to Johor Bahru.
Congestion at the land borders has been a long-standing issue, with members of the public often taking to social media to complain about long waiting times to clear immigration due to traffic snarls and crowds during peak periods.
In April, Johor’s chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi told CNA that the efficiency level on the Malaysian side of the Causeway must be raised to 100 per cent by 2023 to alleviate congestion. He also outlined manpower and technical problems as issues that authorities must overcome.
In July, Mr Onn Hafiz then said that the congestion issue at the land borders has improved after successful implementations of strategies to improve the traffic situation, including the deployment of more immigration officers to the Johor land checkpoints.
Earlier this month, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters that they have seen “big changes” and that Singapore must now “do its best to reduce the congestion”, according to a report by Malaysian news outlet The Star.
HOURS-LONG TAILBACK FROM MALAYSIA
In its statement on Friday, ICA noted that during the most recent long weekend from Aug 31 to Sep 4, there was “severe traffic tailback” stretching from both of Malaysia’s land checkpoints to Singapore’s.
This was when Singapore went to the polls to elect its next President. The week-long September school holidays also began on Sep 2.
A record number of more than 1.7 million travellers passed through Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during that long weekend, with more than 237,000 and 227,000 travellers departing on Aug 31 and Sep 1 respectively.
At the Causeway on Sep 1, which was Polling Day, the tailback of cars from Malaysia began at 9am and only subsided at 11.30pm, said ICA.
Tailback refers to a long queue of stationary or slow-moving traffic extending back from a busy junction or road obstruction.
At Tuas Second Link, traffic tailback began at 1pm and subsided at 7pm.
ICA said that cars could not clear Malaysia’s checkpoints fast enough, which prevented cars that had already cleared Singapore’s checkpoints from moving on towards Malaysia. This affected the waiting time and clearance on the Singapore side.
This also happened during other long weekends and holiday periods, the agency added.
ICA further pointed out that congestion is heavier on Singapore’s side on some days, with travellers commenting on social media about faster clearance times on Malaysia’s side.
“(They) observed that this is due to the different levels of checks at the respective checkpoints, as the Malaysian authorities conduct fewer checks than ICA,” it added.
“ICA needs to strike a balance between keeping our border secure on the one hand, and facilitating traveller and cargo movements on the other. Border security is important for Singapore, in particular, preventing the entry of smuggled, illegal, or undesirable persons and goods.”
THOROUGH CHECKS BASED ON RISK ASSESSMENT
ICA laid out how it conducts checks at the land borders, as well as its additional measures to ease congestion and manage traffic flow especially during long weekends and holiday periods.
“We perform thorough checks using technology, based on our risk assessment,” it said.
For example, multi-modal biometric scanning technology at bus halls and motorcycle lanes is used to detect foreigners with multiple or fake identities.
At car counters, ICA officers conduct face-to-face checks to ensure that travellers are the rightful holders of their travel documents. Travellers are also screened.
Officers will conduct additional checks, such as vehicle boot checks or security questioning, if they come across travellers behaving suspiciously.
When traffic congestion grows heavier, especially during peak periods like long weekends, ICA said it puts in place extra measures.
For example, it issued a travel advisory on Aug 28, warning of heavy traffic at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints leading up to and during the Aug 31 to Sep 4 long weekend.
Officers were moved from other clearance zones to boost manpower levels at the departure car zones, and the departure cargo clearance zone at Woodlands Checkpoint was converted to clear cars instead.
When CNA was at Woodlands Checkpoint just after 6pm on Friday, there was a tailback of cars stretching from Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ. This led to a buildup on the Bukit Timah Expressway that leads to the checkpoint, although traffic began to flow smoothly about two hours later.
At around 6.40pm, the lines of motorists and motorcyclists departing Singapore for Malaysia had slowed to a crawl at the counters. This was despite two zones for cars being converted to clear motorcycles due to the tailback.
Meanwhile, at the bus bays, crowds of travellers were getting on buses at a steady rate to cross the Causeway.
ICA said that it has observed more travellers going by bus at the land checkpoints since the start of 2023 due to several initiatives such as more automated lanes at the bus hall.
Now, 43 per cent of those who pass through Woodlands Checkpoint daily travel by bus, compared to 38 per cent in previous years.
During the evening peak hours, ICA now clears about 8,500 travellers per hour – up from 5,000 travellers before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
Among other measures to allay congestion, ICA added that it worked with the traffic police to enforce traffic rules and lane discipline. Errant motorists caught cutting queues were turned back to Singapore.
ICA worked with the Land Transport Authority and cross-border bus service providers such as SBS Transit and Causeway Link to increase the frequency of public buses. ICA also converted the automated arrival lanes at the bus hall for departure clearance.
“ICA will continue to study ways to enhance travellers’ experience and facilitate the movement of people and goods through our checkpoints, but we cannot compromise security for speed,” it said.
“We will continue to work closely with our Malaysian counterparts to improve traffic conditions.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...and-checkpoints-not-due-singapore-ica-3807811
