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Source:
www.lta.gov.sg |
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Mandatory to Give Way to Buses
Scheme at Three Locations |
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To give more priority to buses on our
roads the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will introduce a pilot
scheme to make it mandatory to give way to all buses exiting at 23
selected bus stops located along three roads. This scheme will
complement and further enhance the effectiveness of existing bus
priority measures, such as bus lanes. |
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From 20 December 2008 onwards, special
yellow boxes and triangular give way to buses markings will be
painted in front of selected bus stops along Bukit Batok East Avenue
3, Toh Tuck Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. Signs will also be
installed ahead of these bus stops to warn motorists they are
approaching a bus stop where they must give way to buses. |
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An earlier study showed that buses spend
about 10 per cent of their total journey time trying to exit from
bus bays. We have earlier worked with the bus operators on campaigns
to educate motorists to voluntarily give way to buses. However, with
increasing demand for limited road space, and to meet commuters’
rising expectation of a reliable and efficient public transport
system, it is imperative that we make it mandatory for cars and
other vehicles to give way to all buses exiting from bus bays. This
will speed up the journey of the majority who travel by buses. |
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"The Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme
is among several LTA initiatives to speed up bus travel. Increasing
the speed and reliability of bus services is one of several priority
measures outlined in the Land Transport Master Plan. Given our
limited road space, we are making a decisive shift towards public
transport. On average, a car carries 1.5 persons, while a single
deck bus can carry up to 80 passengers. More will benefit from our
efforts to speed up bus travel, making public transport a choice
mode," said LTA Chief Executive, Mr Yam Ah Mee. |
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Prior to the implementation of the
scheme, the LTA has worked closely with the public transport
operators to identify suitable locations to conduct the pilot. |
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The LTA will monitor the effectiveness
of the scheme at these three locations for three months before
deciding if the Mandatory Give Way to Buses scheme can be extended
to more locations to benefit public transport users. |
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"Through the years, we have worked with
the LTA and the Traffic Police on various campaigns to get motorists
to give way to buses coming out of bus bays. Unfortunately, few
motorists heeded the call to give way to our buses. We believe that
the move towards making it mandatory for motorists to yield to buses
will help improve bus travel speeds significantly. Currently, about
10% of our travel time is spent waiting at bus bays," said Mr Gan
Juay Kiat, Chief Operating Officer, SBS Transit. |
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"As a public transport service provider,
SMRT is supportive of such initiatives that would help our Service
Leaders perform their duties better. We believe that our passengers
will benefit from the smoother travel experience," said Ms Kang Huey
Ling, Vice President, SMRT Buses. |
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"While this scheme evidently benefits
commuters, the Association views giving way on the road as a good
practice that helps to promote graciousness and safety on the road,"
said Chief Executive Officer, Automobile Association of Singapore,
Mr Lee Wai Mun. |
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How the Scheme Works |
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The Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme
is similar conceptually to a zebra crossing, except that it is meant
for buses. |
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When nearing a bus stop under this
scheme, motorists will first see triangular give way markings on the
road. These markings indicate that motorists approaching these bus
stops need to slow down and watch in case buses are pulling out of
the bus bay. Motorists come to a complete stop before the give way
line and give way to buses exiting the bus bay at the location.
Motorists may continue their journey once the bus has successfully
exited the bus bay and no other buses are pulling out from the bus
bay. |
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It will be a traffic offence if
motorists do not give way to buses exiting from bus bays where the
new road markings are drawn. |
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Please refer to
Annex A for an illustration of the typical bus stop with the
Mandatory Give Way to Buses scheme. |
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Informing Road Users |
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Before the scheme is implemented on 20
December, the LTA will be sending out 600,000 information brochures
in the four official languages to all registered car owners and taxi
companies. LTA will also remind motorists of the new scheme through
regular radio broadcasts. |
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These brochures contain detailed
information on the new scheme as well as the rationale behind it.
The LTA has also been working with bus operators to inform their bus
drivers on the new scheme. |
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Source:
www.lta.gov.sg News Release 1
Dec 2008 |
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FrontPage Edition: Mon 1 Dec 2008
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