Four people required hospital treatment after a Singapore-registered car collided with a Malaysia-registered Causeway Link bus at Woodlands Checkpoint on 24 May. The accident occurred at approximately 5.28am along the Causeway.
Police received the alert at 5.30am at Woodlands Crossing. The car driver, a 48-year-old man, and his three passengers aged between 14 and 78 were taken conscious to hospital.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) transported two people to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Another two were taken to Sengkang General Hospital.
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A Facebook video posted on the Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers Group 2 showed the accident scene. At least three ambulances, one fire engine, two SCDF support vehicles and several rescue workers responded to the incident.
The footage revealed a silver-coloured MPV with a badly dented bonnet. No injuries were reported among the bus passengers, while the bus driver declined medical assistance.
The accident caused significant traffic disruption. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) issued its first alert on Facebook at 6.10am, stating the accident blocked one out of three lanes leading into the Causeway.
At 7.53am, ICA announced all three lanes would be blocked for 15 minutes. This allowed SCDF to wash oil spillage at the accident site. Two out of three lanes reopened for vehicles departing to Johor Bahru after the cleanup.
All lanes were fully operational for departing traffic by 9.09am. The three-hour closure significantly delayed cross-border travel.
Safety Procedures Failed Before Contraflow Operations Accident
ICA announced it would conduct a comprehensive review of safety measures following the accident. Preliminary investigations revealed the contraflow operation was activated before barriers were put in place.
This violated established safety procedures. ICA described the accident as something that should not have happened and stated they were treating it very seriously.
The authority explained its contraflow traffic management operations run during peak timings to ease congestion. The system converts the departure lane for heavy vehicles at the Causeway into an arrival lane. This expedites the arrival of heavy vehicles that might block traffic.
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During car traffic surges, part of the departure cargo zone may be converted to clear cars departing Woodlands Checkpoint. This minimises traffic tailbacks along the Bukit Timah Expressway.
Safety measures normally include setting up barriers to divert departing car traffic away from the contraflow lane. The barriers prevent conflicts when arriving heavy vehicles use the departure lane for heavy vehicles.
ICA officers immediately rendered assistance after the accident and managed the traffic situation. They alerted SCDF and police to respond to the scene.
The authority implemented a safety pause by suspending contraflow operations at both Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints over the weekend. Operations will only restart after a comprehensive review of safety measures.
ICA apologised for any inconvenience and warned motorists to expect delays during the interim period. Traffic police investigations into the accident remain ongoing.
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