WE THANK Mr Ronnie Poon Beng Choon for his letter ("Any guidelines
on blocking roads?"; Oct 31).
Under the Street Works Regulations, utility agencies that need to
carry out work on the roads are required to apply to the Land
Transport Authority for a roadworks permit before their contractors
are allowed to occupy the road.
The agencies and contractors are also required to comply with a set
of guidelines to ensure road safety, and proper traffic flow and
control.
As part of the guidelines, roadworks contractors are generally
allowed to close only one lane to carry out work on the roads.
In the event of a traffic build-up, the contractors are required to
reopen the lane to alleviate any congestion.
With regard to the extent of the road to be cordoned off, there are
guidelines to determine the safety distance required.
For the safety of motorists and workers, cones are placed upstream
of the work area to prevent motorists from crashing into the
area.
The length of the cordon varies depending on the speed limit of the
road, with a longer distance required on a road with a higher speed
limit.
This is to allow sufficient distance for motorists to manoeuvre and
merge safely with traffic on the adjacent lane.
Helen Lim (Ms)
Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
