December 01, 2019, 09:05 PM
Anyone driving near the downtown city area during certain periods from Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 might have experienced a severe traffic jam.
Photo via Roads.sg/Facebook
The traffic jams were largely caused by the various roads that were closed to facilitate the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) 2019, which was held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
Image via Singapore Marathon
Changed format
The SCSM was traditionally a two-day event, which sees the runners flag off in the early morning.
However, in order to fulfil the criteria of entering the SCSM into the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMMM), this year's race format has been changed to a three-day event, The Straits Times (ST) reports.
Therefore, the event began in the evening of Nov. 30 instead.
The AbbottWMMM is a series of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world, which includes the Boston Marathon and the TCS New York City Marathon.
Unfortunately, this meant that major road closures had to be made to accommodate the race, starting from 1pm on Nov. 30, near Marina Centre.
Image via Singapore Marathon
Normal traffic was expected to resume by 12pm on Dec. 1.
Complaints
Members of the public were predictably not pleased with how the traffic jams caused, with many citing poor planning by the event committee.
They made their voice heard on the Roads.sg Facebook page, where followers were updated on the traffic situation.
Image from Roads.sg's Facebook page.
Image from Roads.sg's Facebook page.
Another said that the event should have been held somewhere less central, which would cause less inconvenience to members of the public over the weekend.
Image from Roads.sg's Facebook page.
Others cited the timing of the event to be the main issue, noting that the event was noticeably more chaotic than previous years.
Image from Roads.sg's Facebook page.
Image from Roads.sg's Facebook page.
Three other events predicted to draw crowds
According to ST, three other events over the weekend are also predicted to contribute to the congestion in the downtown city area.
Some 50,000 people were expected to attend the U2 Joshua Tree Tour on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, at the National Stadium.
C3 AFA Singapore, a leading anime convention in the Southeast Asian region, is also held over the weekend, at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Gardens by the Bay's Christmas Wonderland also started its run on Nov. 29, marking the sixth edition of the event.
Top image from Roads.sg's Facebook page.
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