ICA Warns Of Heavy Traffic At Singapore-JB Checkpoints On Deepavali Weekend
With the Deepavali long weekend coming soon, perhaps you’re thinking of a quick escape to Johor Bahru (JB) for a holiday. Unfortunately, thousands of Singaporeans are likely planning the exact same thing.
Also aplenty are Malaysians working in Singapore and looking to cross the border to return home for the holidays.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) released an advisory warning about very heavy traffic over the upcoming long weekend.
They pointed to the recent Children’s Day weekend in Oct where congestion stuck motorists in traffic for hours.
As such, the ICA advised travellers to plan for long wait times and observe traffic rules such as not queue-cutting.
Heavy traffic expected at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints
Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Singaporeans flooding into JB on a long weekend.
The Polling Day weekend in Sep saw heavy congestion from the Woodlands Checkpoint to the Seletar Expressway (SLE). The Tuas Second Link route fared no better, with visitors heading for Johor being stuck for over nine hours.
Source: Facebook
The ICA stated that during the Children’s Day weekend from 6 to 8 Oct, more than 1.27 million travellers used the checkpoints.
6 Oct alone saw over 460,000 crossings, more than half of which (260,000) departed Singapore for Malaysia. Motorists in cars waited in the traffic jam for over three hours.
In a practically Sisyphean task, the ICA once more gave warning in an advisory about “very heavy traffic” for the Deepavali long weekend.
From Thursday (9 Nov) to next Tuesday (14 Nov), they expected severe congestion at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.
Additionally, the ICA has stepped up security measures at checkpoints in light of the situation in the Middle East, potentially extending wait times.
Due to this, they advised travellers to factor in additional waiting time for immigration clearance into their plans.
ICA warns travellers to be patient and avoid cutting queue
The ICA encouraged motorists to check the traffic situation at the checkpoints through the One Motoring website. ICA’s Facebook and Twitter (now X) accounts also provide updates.
In order to reduce wait times, the ICA urged travellers to be patient, observe traffic rules, and cooperate with their personnel. They specifically highlighted queue-cutting as an issue, stating that it causes further congestion and safety risks.
Source: ICA on Facebook
They warned that queue-cutters would be forced to U-turn back to the end of the line. The ICA confirmed that they turned away four queue-cutting Porsche cars on 15 Oct, as shown in a viral video.
Finally, the ICA reminded travellers to ensure their passports remain valid for at least six months.
They further stated that Singapore permanent residents (PRs) had to transfer their Re-Entry Permit to their renewed passports.
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Featured image adapted from checkpoint.sg via 8world News and Facebook.
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