Full-day bus
lane scheme extended to five routes in city
centre
SINGAPORE : The full-day bus lane scheme will be extended to five
routes in the city centre from April.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) says the move can save bus
commuters several minutes of travelling time.
The new lanes are an extension of the full-day route introduced two
years ago on Orchard Road.
About 6,800 summons were issued for using the bus lanes up to the
end of last year. The new routes come into effect at the beginning
of April.
LTA hopes the new regulations will help cut passenger travelling
times by between two and five minutes.
An LTA study has shown that the roads are clogged by the dropping
off of passengers on the roadside, and the loading and unloading of
goods, forcing buses to move out of their lanes.
"The bus volumes here (at the city centre) are very high. More than
100 buses per hour," says Dr Chin Kian Keong, deputy group director
of Roads at LTA.
The new routes are at:
- Eu Tong Street (from Outram Road to River Valley toward Kallang
Road),
- Hill Street (from River Valley Road to Bras Basah Road),
- Victoria Street (from Bras Basah to Lavender Street),
- Bras Basah Road (from Prinsep Street to Beach Road), and
- Somerset Road and Penang Road (from Clemenceau Avenue to Orchard
Turn).
And the immediate reactions from commuters?
"There will be fewer vehicles on that lane so the buses can travel
faster," says one commuter.
But another disagrees: "I don't think there will be much difference
because once on the road, the other cars will go on as per
normal,"
"There will be certainly some inconvenience for motorists
initially. But with this priority scheme for public transport, we
hope car commuters will see the benefits of using public
transport," says Dr Chin.
The LTA is leaving it to the bus companies to review their
timetables and assess if the new lanes result in shorter travelling
times.
The hope is that bus routes can become smoother, so that more buses
can be added to cancel out overcrowding.
