SINGAPORE: Driving in the Central Business District will be a different experience from June 2. That's when full-day bus lanes will be extended to 11 new locations.

These are Collyer Quay, Fullerton Road, Grange Road, Shenton Way, Robinson Road, parts of South Bridge Road, Victoria Street, North Bridge Road, Bencoolen Street, Hill Street and parts of New Bridge Road.

The extension is in addition to such lanes already in operation along six stretches of roads - Orchard Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, Somerset Road, Victoria Street, Hill Street and Bras Basah Road

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said since the scheme was started in 2005, average bus speeds along these roads have improved by between 10 and 23 percent during non-peak periods.

It added that the improved bus travelling speeds help make the bus commute a more attractive and pleasant option, and encourages more commuters to take public transport.

The extension is to ensure more roads remain clear to enable buses to give their commuters a faster and smoother journey during the operational hours of 7.30am to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays, except on public holidays.

To ensure the scheme's effectiveness, LTA will be introducing enforcement cameras onboard buses - to be used to record bus lane infringements. The video cameras will work in tandem with the current warden scheme.

Jeremy Yap, Group Director, Vehicle & Transit Licensing, LTA, said: "The camera footage will give us an idea of the (road) conditions because it will be a 5- to 10-minute footage... it's a reasonable approach because it gives us - as an investigating authority - a good sense of what went on before the offence can be made out."

For a start, these enforcement cameras have been installed in some 90 SBS transit buses across 12 service routes that ply along routes which have both full and partial day bus lanes.

If these cameras are effective in keeping bus lanes clear, LTA plans to introduce them to more bus services.

Yap Kim San, an SBS Transit Bus Captain, said: "This helps the bus captain to meet time schedule and bring our customers to their destination on time."

While bus users welcome the change, there were mixed reactions among motorists. One of them said: "It's going to be a big mess, especially during peak hours when you go to Orchard Road or even Serangoon Road."

Another said: "As long as they allow some space for the car to turn left in the CBD area, that is better."

More bus lanes will be introduced by year-end and could include areas like Serangoon Road. But concerns about loading and unloading would have to be ironed out, so that businesses are not unduly affected.

The penalty for bus lane infringements is a S$130 fine. No demerit points will be imposed on the driver.

LTA said there are currently about 2,000 bus lane violations a month and up to a third of these violations are successfully appealed.


- CNA/ir/so