SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Motorcyclists coming into Singapore via the Tuas Checkpoint have been experiencing quicker immigration clearance during the morning peak hour.
This is due to Operation Sunrise – an initiative implemented by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) since May 2023 to ease congestion and accelerate immigration clearance for motorcycles travelling into Singapore via the Tuas Checkpoint.
It involves diverting incoming motorcycle traffic to the unused automated motorcycle lanes for vehicles departing Singapore.
By opening 30 more such lanes, ICA can control the build up of motorcycles that normally clog up the road that has steady lorry and car traffic heading to Tuas Checkpoint from Malaysia.
Said Chong Chee Lee, who lives in Skudai, Johor Bahru: “It used to take me one hour and a half to travel from home to my office in Singapore – I would leave at 6am and arrive at work by 7.30am. Now, I can sleep in longer because the same journey takes about 45 mins.”
The 25-year-old said he has been working as a technician in Singapore for the last two years, and his journey to work was still bearable prior to Operation Sunrise.
But Terry Guna, 42, had it worse.
He used to leave his home in Gelang Patah (Johor) for the Second Link at 4am each day. It was a tedious and painful two-hour process as he would have to endure motorcycle exhaust fumes while staying in the queue.
“My record lately has been 40 minutes,” said Terry, who has been working in Singapore for the last 15 years.
“These days, I leave at 6.30am and clear the immigration in Tuas by 7.10am. Riding now is less stressful.”
The increasing number of motorcycles entering the Tuas Checkpoint from Malaysia made diverting motorcycle traffic and speeding up immigration clearance paramount.
Every weekday, about 123,000 people come into Singapore via the Tuas Checkpoint, with 55 per cent of them – about 68,000 – being motorcyclists.
This is more than the 65,000 motorcyclists who used Tuas Checkpoint daily before Covid-19, said the ICA, adding that the checkpoint is now the main crossing for motorcyclists travelling between Singapore and Malaysia during peak hours.
During the weekday peak period of 5am to 9am, about 22,000 motorcyclists cross the Tuas Checkpoint daily.
Prior to Operation Sunrise, 40 automated lanes and up to nine car counters were deployed to clear motorcycles at the arrival zone at Tuas Checkpoint.
With the new initiative, the automated clearance capacity for arriving motorcycles during the morning peak period has increased from 40 automated lanes to 70 automated lanes, said ICA.
Said Superintendent Lian Zhimin, senior assistant commander of Tuas Checkpoint: “Every weekday morning, we divert arriving motorcycles to the departure zones for clearance unless there is bad weather. Operation Sunrise has allowed us to fully maximise our automated clearance capacity to clear the arriving motorcycles much quicker.”
Supt Lian told The Straits Times that Operation Sunrise was “manpower neutral”. Officers at Tuas Checkpoint have been freed up to perform ushering and road safety duties, as well as conduct security checks on motorcyclists.
While the initiative may sound simple, it requires careful coordination from the ICA command centre at the checkpoint where large monitors show the build-up of traffic into Singapore.
Officers are stationed at specific points on the road to divert two-minute waves of motorcyclists to the automated lanes for vehicles departing Singapore. When this is happening, other officers stop cars coming in the opposite direction of the motorcycles.
After clearing immigration, the motorcycles are again diverted to the arrival flow into Singapore.
At present, Operation Sunrise takes place only during the morning peak hours for motorcycle traffic coming into Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint, but ICA said it is exploring a similar initiative at Woodlands Checkpoint.
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