Full-day bus lane hours to be extended from March 21

SINGAPORE — To speed up bus commuting, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is making full-day bus lanes out of bounds to motorists until 11pm, starting March 21.

Distinguished by red solid lane markings, they are currently kept for buses’ exclusive use from 7.30am to 8pm on weekdays and Saturday. There are 23km of such lanes now — introduced in 2005 — located mainly in the city centre.

Motorists who use these bus lanes during restricted hours face a composition fine of S$130. If the offence is not compounded, the motorist could be prosecuted in court, facing up to a S$1,000 fine and a jail term not longer than three months, if it is his first offence. Maximum penalties are doubled for repeat offenders.

Statistics from the LTA show that bus lane offences have dipped by 28.9 per cent from about 54,800 in 2014 to about 42,500 last year. Monthly numbers also fell from about 3,800 last July to about 2,100 in December.

The LTA also announced on Tuesday (March 8) that it is carrying out a six-month trial of having Bus Priority Boxes at bus stops without bus bays. Two bus stops along Orchard Road — in front of Mandarin Orchard Hotel and Midpoint Orchard — will come under the scheme.

Currently, all but two of the 332 bus stops with Bus Priority Boxes are at bus stops with bus bays. Motorists have to stop before such boxes to allow buses to exit bus stops. Failure to do so attracts identical penalties as bus lane offences.

The LTA said it will use the findings from the trial to determine if the scheme should be applied to similar bus stops in other locations.

“The latest round of adjustments is part of LTA’s efforts to further improve bus reliability and shorten journey time for commuters, especially for bus services plying the city area,” LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong said.

Motorists interviewed questioned the rationale for extending operating hours of full-day bus lanes and expressed concern of more serious traffic jams as a result.

Ms Adrienne Choo, a homemaker, said there is “not much traffic” within the Central Business District (CBD) after the evening peak hours. “By that time, most people will be at home, unless they’re working overtime,” said the 38-year-old, who picks up her husband from work near Lau Pa Sat.

Ms Lynne Li, 53, who works within the CBD, was concerned that the extended bus lanes would result in heavier traffic jams “because it means one less lane for cars to drive on”.

Mr Koh Hwi Teck, 60, who works in an electronics shop in Bugis, also noted the lighter traffic at night.

At night, most bus lanes are empty, these extended hours for full-day bus lanes deprive drivers like me to use them,” he said. “If the traffic becomes slower on certain roads, will the Government implement Electronic Road Pricing there?"