SINGAPORE - The authorities have been studying ways to improve traveller experience at the land checkpoints, and the feasibility of Malaysia’s idea for a single clearance system will be assessed when Singapore receives the proposal.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), in response to queries, on Sunday (Feb 5) also said several initiatives have been introduced in recent years to ease the traffic situation along the Causeway linking Singapore and Malaysia.
The 400m crossing is among the busiest in the world, with traffic jams known to last for hours despite taking only minutes to cross by car.
The ICA spokesman said the authority has yet to receive any proposal for a “single clearance system” at the Causeway.
“If and when we receive one, we will study its feasibility with our Malaysian counterparts,” she added.
On Friday, Malaysian news outlet The Star reported that Malaysia has proposed the idea to allow commuters to clear Customs just once in order to ease congestion.
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On Sunday, the ICA spokesman said six car counters were built in 2020 at each arrival and departure lorry zone at Woodlands Checkpoint to improve capacity for clearing cars.
ICA also commissioned 10 two-way automated lanes to replace manual counters at the Woodlands Checkpoint bus hall to allow clearance lanes to be converted flexibly for different modes of immigration clearance, based on the traffic situation.
In February 2022, ICA used the downtime during the Covid-19 pandemic to implement 64 additional automated gates at the immigration bus halls at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.
This allows more travellers to clear immigration through the automated lanes and more officers to be deployed dynamically to areas that require more support to manage traveller volume, the ICA spokesman said.
She added that Woodlands Checkpoint will also be redeveloped over the next few years, and will have more automated clearance lanes for buses, cars, motorcycles and lorries.
She said: “This could alleviate congestion and reduce travel time by up to 75 per cent during peak periods.”
ICA will continue working with its Malaysian counterparts to improve and facilitate cross-border movement, while keeping Singapore’s borders safe and secure, she added.
Since Jan 3, ICA has taken over protective security functions at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, becoming the first responders for incidents such as bomb threats and armed assailants at both locations.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
