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Congestion During Long Weekends or Holiday Periods Not Caused by Singapore

            In response to media queries on comments by Malaysians that heavy congestion at the land checkpoints during the long weekends or holiday periods is generally caused by Singapore, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) would like to point out that such comments are inaccurate.

2.          For instance, during the recent long weekend from 31 August to 4 September 2023, there was severe traffic tailback that stretched from both of Malaysia’s land checkpoints, all the way back to Singapore’s land checkpoints. On 1 September, at the Causeway, the tailback of cars from Malaysia began at 9am and only subsided at 11.30pm; at the Second Link, it began at 1pm and subsided only at 7pm. Cars could not clear Malaysia’s checkpoints fast enough, thus preventing cars that had been cleared at Singapore’s checkpoints from moving on towards Malaysia. This affected the waiting time and clearance on the Singapore side.

3.          This has also happened during other long weekends and holiday periods, where significant tailback of cars entering Malaysia stretched from Malaysia’s checkpoints to ours.

4.          On some days, congestion is heavier on Singapore’s side. On social media, travellers have commented about the faster clearance on the Malaysian side, and observed that this is due to the different levels of checks at the respective checkpoints, as the Malaysian authorities conduct fewer checks than ICA.

5.          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.

6.          Hence, we perform thorough checks using technology, based on our risk assessment. For example, ICA uses multi-modal biometric scanning technology at the bus halls and motorcycle lanes at our checkpoints, to detect foreigners with multiple identities or impersonated identities. At the car counters, ICA officers conduct face-to-face checks to ensure that the travellers are the rightful holders of the travel documents presented, and screen them to see if they had previously come to adverse notice. In addition, our officers have to be vigilant against attempts to smuggle contraband and prohibited items. Officers will conduct additional checks, such as boot checks or security questioning, on travellers who exhibit suspicious behaviours.

7.          On days where congestion is heavier, especially during long weekends and holiday seasons, ICA puts in place additional measures to ease congestion and manage traffic flow. For example, during the long weekend from 31 August to 4 September 2023, ICA cleared a record number of more than 1.7 million travellers through Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints. More than 237,000 and 227,000 travellers departed via the land checkpoints on 31 August 2023 (Thursday) and 1 September 2023 (Friday) respectively. Besides issuing a travel advisory on 28 August, we also implemented these additional measures:

  • ICA officers were moved from other clearance zones to augment manning levels at the departure car zones, and the departure cargo clearance zone at Woodlands Checkpoint was converted to clear cars instead.
  • ICA worked with the Traffic Police to enforce traffic rules and lane discipline. Errant motorists caught queue cutting 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 instead.
  • ICA officers were stationed near a U-turn point before the checkpoints to advise motorists of the traffic situation and facilitate their U-turn back towards Singapore if they wished to do so.

8.          More details of existing initiatives to improve clearance efficiency across all modes of conveyance are at the Annex.

9.          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. We will continue to work closely with our Malaysian counterparts to improve traffic conditions.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
29 SEPTEMBER 2023

Annex

Mode Existing initiatives to improve clearance efficiency
Bus
  • Since the start of 2023, ICA has observed more travellers travelling by bus when using the land checkpoints. Among the 270,000 travellers who pass through Woodlands Checkpoint daily, 43 per cent are bus travellers, compared to only 38 per cent in previous years. The shift in traveller preference to the use of buses can be attributed to several initiatives which ICA has implemented at the bus halls and bus concourses. These measures have helped to speed up immigration clearance and facilitate the movement of bus travellers between the buses and immigration clearance. With the initiatives we have put in place, during the evening peak hours, ICA now clears about 8,500 travellers per hour, as compared to 5,000 travellers pre-COVID.
  • At the bus halls, ICA has increased automated clearance capacity by installing 74 more automated lanes across both land checkpoints. Since January 2023, the Automated Clearance Initiative has enabled even first-time foreigners visiting Singapore, including Malaysians, to clear immigration using these automated lanes. There is no longer any need for prior enrolment; this is done seamlessly and simultaneously when travellers present themselves for immigration clearance at the automated lanes. ICA will be further increasing and enhancing its automated lanes with the Next Generation Automated Border Clearance System. Progressively from 2024, Singaporean residents and departing visitors (including Malaysians) can expect immigration clearance to be even faster without the need to scan their passport for immigration clearance. Instead, their identity will be verified using biometrics.
  • The waiting time for buses at the bus concourse has also been reduced. ICA had worked closely with the Land Transport Authority and cross-border bus service providers such as SBS Transit, SMRT and Causeway Link to schedule more buses, especially during peak periods. ICA has worked with bus operators to introduce loop services at the checkpoints to reduce waiting time for bus travellers during peak periods. At Woodlands Checkpoint, the loop services operate between Woodlands Checkpoint and Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI). At Tuas Checkpoint, the loop services bring travellers out of Tuas Checkpoint to inland locations in Singapore. ICA allows the buses to U-turn within the checkpoint compound without the need for the bus drivers to clear immigration.
  • ICA also has dedicated immigration clearance lanes for departing public buses. This prevents the departing public buses from being blocked by privately owned buses/coaches when passing through Woodlands Checkpoint.
  • ICA and LTA reviewed traffic rules at Woodlands Crossing and have prohibited all vehicles, except buses and authorised vehicles, from making a right turn to enter Woodlands Checkpoint using Woodlands Centre Road. This facilitates the movement of public buses into the Checkpoint during peak periods and not get obstructed by other modes of transport. At the Causeway, double white lines have been extended along the route leading to Malaysia to minimise instances of lorries cutting into the queues of buses. This allows ICA to facilitate the movement of travellers to BSI and also prevent overcrowding at the departure bus concourse of Woodlands Checkpoint.
Cars
  • ICA will introduce QR code scanning, to replace passport scanning for immigration clearance at manual car counters from early 2024. A single QR code will allow multiple travellers in the car to be cleared at one go, thereby speeding up immigration clearance significantly. From 2026, automated car clearance lanes will be introduced at Tuas Checkpoint, allowing car travellers to perform self-clearance from their vehicle, with minimum intervention by officers. By 2028, the automated car lanes will be extended to the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint. ICA is also looking to extend QR code scanning to the automated motorcycle lanes.
  • In 2020, ICA installed six car counters each, at both the arrival and departure cargo clearance zones of Woodlands Checkpoint. During peak hours, where possible, ICA converts these cargo clearance zones to clear cars instead.
 Motorcycle
  • During the morning and evening peak periods, we convert our car zones to clear motorcycles instead. This reduces motorcycle queues along the Causeway, Second Link, Bukit Timah Expressway and Ayer Rajah Expressway, which may block other modes of conveyance from entering the checkpoints.
  • In May 2023, ICA introduced ‘Operation Sunrise’ at Tuas Checkpoint to provide an alternative route for immigration clearance for motorcyclists entering Singapore during the weekday morning peak period. Some arriving motorcyclists from the Second Link are diverted to the departure automated lanes for immigration clearance. This has helped to reduce waiting time and alleviate traffic congestion at the Second Link. A similar initiative is being explored at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Woodlands Train Checkpoint In March 2023, ICA installed 10 bi-directional immigration kiosks at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint to augment automated clearance capacity. Each self-clearance transaction at the kiosk takes approximately 24 seconds, as compared to 45 seconds at the manual counter. This has resulted in a faster clearance experience for train travellers.
Woodlands Checkpoint To cope with increasing traveller volume, Woodlands Checkpoint will be redeveloped in phases to enhance clearance for all types of vehicular traffic as well as to incorporate greater automation and flexi-lanes that can be toggled to either clear cars or motorcycles. This will reduce travel time from 60 minutes to 15 minutes during peak periods.
Cargo In March 2023, ICA introduced paperless clearance of conventional cargo at all cargo checkpoints, including the land checkpoints. With this initiative, drivers only need to submit their vehicle licence plate number and cargo clearance permits (CCPs) via the SGAC Cargo Module on ICA’s website or the MyICA mobile app, before seeking clearance at the checkpoint. There is no longer a need to present hardcopy CCPs. ICA officers will instead retrieve the relevant information from the system based on the licence plate number. This reduces the cargo permit clearance time for each vehicle from seven minutes to five.