Safer, faster rides as Give Way to Buses scheme expands
Monday, Oct 22, 2012 my paper
For 57-year-old housewife Ann Yong, going to the wet market in the mornings used to be a challenge.
She would board bus service 502 at 8am to get to a bus stop in Jurong West Avenue 1, but conditions on the road would invariably be "congested and slow-moving" due to the morning peak period.
It would usually take at least 20 minutes before she reached her destination.
All that changed in December 2010, when the Mandatory Give Way to Busesscheme was implemented there. Under the scheme, motorists are required to give way to buses exiting bus bays with a yellow box painted on the road.
Madam Yong recalled numerous near-accidents at the bus stop before the scheme took effect there.
"Sometimes, bus drivers had to stop abruptly when the cars behind wouldn't give way," she said. "But now it's better, there's less of a jam."
These days, she takes 15 minutes - five minutes less - to get to the market.
Commuters like Madam Yong would be glad to know that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is expanding the scheme to an additional 150 bus bays islandwide.
Currently, there are 203 bus bays covered by the scheme.
This was announced by Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim yesterday.
Commuters can expect smoother, faster and safer rides on buses, as buses get priority at more bus bays.
This will "provide more leeway for buses to move in and out of bus lanes to ensure that our commuters reach their destinations faster and have a more convenient ride", he said.
Following the pilot scheme in 2008, LTA found that the scheme enabled buses to exit bus bays faster, reducing the time taken by up to 73 per cent.
This also helped to shorten bus journeys' duration by up to 7 per cent.
The LTA said that commuters can expect more details on the scheme in the coming weeks.
Motorists welcome the expansion and say it will not inconvenience them.
Ms Amanda Tee, 23, a socialmedia copywriter who drives to work occasionally, said: "We ought to be giving way anyway. It will be good in helping to instil a 'give-way' mentality in us because, in general, Singaporean drivers don't."
Another motorist, Ms Annette Chan, 27, said that the scheme was necessary, but was not certain that everyone would heed it.
Most times, "drivers are pressed for time and nobody on the road wants to stop behind a bus", she said.
As to whether the expansion of the scheme would actually lead to more squeeze for other motorists, she felt that those driving in a two-lane road would probably feel the impact more than those in a three-lane one.
Dr Faishal announced the extension of the scheme on the sidelines of the launch of new bus service 860 near Khatib MRT station yesterday.
Service 860 is one of the first buses launched under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), a government initiative to benefit commuters by increasing bus capacity and enhancing bus-service levels.
With service 860, commuters now have access to better connectivity within Yishun Town, as well as a direct and faster route from Yishun Ring Road to Khatib MRT station.
Six new buses will be servicing the route for service 860, and its average frequency during peak periods is 10 minutes.
It is one of the 40 new routes slated to be introduced over the next five years under the $1.1- billion BSEP initiative, where the Government will pay for 550 buses.
