Designated carpark and tracking system in the works for motorists entering Singapore from Malaysia

A designated parking space will be set up in Bukit Batok for people driving into Singapore from Malaysia, along with a tracking system to ensure they head straight to the facility.

According to tender documents seen by The Straits Times, Singapore's Ministry of Transport (MOT) is looking to procure a tracking system that can track a maximum of 2,000 vehicles at any one point in time.

The system will be used to track people driving into Singapore through its checkpoints as they go to the parking facility at the former Bukit Batok Heavy Vehicle Carpark next to the Pan Island Expressway, near Bukit Batok Flyover.

In response to queries, a MOT spokesman said the tender is for the set-up of a designated parking facility to facilitate travellers entering Singapore from Malaysia in their own vehicles before they proceed to serve their stay-home notice (SHN).

"Currently, travellers are allowed to park at their places of accommodation or workplace before proceeding to serve their SHN," the spokesman said.

Malaysia is classified as a Category IV country based on the Ministry of Health's border risk classification framework. This means that travellers coming in from there will have to serve a 10-day SHN in a designated facility.

The tender documents did not make any reference to whether this new facility will affect border measures.

Singapore and Malaysia are currently in talks on reopening borders.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said earlier this month that both countries share a common desire to re-establish connections, and hope to start taking concrete actions to reopen borders as soon as possible.

In documents for the tracking system tender called on Tuesday (Oct 19), MOT said: "To track the drivers' movement from the checkpoints to the designated parking facility, he shall be given a device to enable the monitoring of his movement."

There are two land checkpoints in Singapore — one in Woodlands and another at Tuas.

MOT said the tracking device for those arriving in Singapore should have Global Positioning System tracking or other equivalent technology for tracking in real-time.

The device should be able to send an alert to the authorities if it remains stationary at a location other than the designated parking facility for 10 minutes or more.

It should also be able to alert the authorities if the passenger has not turned up at the designated parking facility after 1½ hours.

Another requirement is a call function for the authorities to contact the wearer through voice-calls.

According to another set of tender documents issued by MOT on Thursday (Oct 21), the contractor for the designated carpark in Bukit Batok should set up a temporary hoarding around it, as well as two processing areas.

One will be for arriving passengers, while the other area will be for passengers who have completed their SHN and are collecting their vehicles.

The facility will be operated daily on a 24-hour basis, and the contractor operating it will have to be ready to receive people driving over once notified.

"The contractor shall ensure that a parking lot is allocated to the arriving passenger and that the passenger has parked his vehicle properly at the designated lot," said MOT.

The ministry added that officers deployed at the parking facility will have to wear N95 masks, latex gloves, surgical gowns, and either face shields or safety goggles.

They will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and take routine Covid-19 tests.