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Road referee? Traffic marshal dishes out 'penalty' cards to passing vehicles in Kaki Bukit

Road referee? Traffic marshal dishes out 'penalty' cards to passing vehicles in Kaki Bukit
PHOTO: Screengrab/YouTube/Devon Woon

Dive carefully and safely - or you might find your car out of play, according to this traffic marshal's 'penalty' cards.

Traffic marshal Devon Woon put a spin on his usual attempts at conducting traffic by bringing red and yellow cards to flash at motorists driving by Kaki Bukit Avenue 1, he shared in a recent video uploaded to YouTube.

He was supporting traffic regulation for road works on Sep 27 due to lane closure for pipe laying and decided to whip out penalty cards often used in sports.

In the video, Woon can be seen issuing red cards to vehicles that blitz past him and yellow cards to vehicles that were still travelling at relatively higher speeds.

'They are spontaneous enough to play along'

According to Woon, yellow cards were issued as warnings to drivers who didn't sufficiently slow down upon his hand signals, while red cards were "flashed and slapped" at motorists for transgressions such as speeding, lane hogging and other means of jeopardising safety.

"I love how motorists know my playful approach to tackling traffic, and they are spontaneous enough to play along, giving me a sad expression when I 'demoralise' them with a penalty card - now that's the spirit," Woon wrote in the description of his video.

He also brought attention to the "stressful situation" of the workers laying pipes in the road and the danger that they're put in when vehicles zoom by, stating that "their safety is not guaranteed".

"On top of that, their site supervisor is constantly scolding them and rushing them so the general workers are constantly working under pressure to deliver by tight timelines," Woon said.

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He added: "As traffic wardens, we play a pivotal role to ensure motorists entering our worksite slow down and maintain speed even as they transit through and exit the worksite."

Woon also stated that there's a "heavy responsibility" as a marshal and that he hopes to use his comedic acts to "easy up tension on the roads" and "diffuse negativity".

Many netizens who saw a posting of Woon's video on Facebook group SG Road Vigilante applauded his actions and felt he "takes pride in his job and responsibilities".

Said one: "Not easy to be standing there whole day under the hot sun and with full gear.. kudos to this officer for making the best out of the situation."

Another also expressed that he enjoys Woon's portrayal of his work, wishing him well for the future.

AsiaOne has reached out to Woon for more information.

Taking an unnecessary risk?

However, some netizens also felt that Woon might have been taking an unnecessary risk with this performance.

Commented a netizen: "Anyhow point, will cause unnecessary accident. Driver might be confused by your hand signal."

Said another: "He is more interested in making viral videos than keeping the road safe."

This isn't the first time Woon's gained public attention while going about his job as a traffic marshal, however.

In June, Woon won over the hearts of many with his dance moves while on the job.

He busted some Michael Jackson moves amid while conducting traffic, moonwalking while enduring the harsh Singapore heat.

Speaking with AsiaOne in June, he shared that he enjoys dancing on the roads as it helps to alleviate the tension some drivers face and also slow down traffic by catching their attention.

He said: "This is how I keep all road users entertained, to make my job more fun, meaningful and for time to past faster."

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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