ICA to conduct safety review after car collided with bus at Woodlands Checkpoint; contraflow started before barriers put in place

Four people were taken to hospital after an accident between a bus and a car at Woodlands Checkpoint on May 24 morning.

Three lanes were closed due to the accident until 9:09am, based on updates from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Mothership that on May 24 at around 5:30am, they were alerted to an accident involving a bus and a car along Woodlands Crossing.

Police said that a 48-year-old male car driver and his three passengers, aged between 14 and 78, were conveyed conscious to the hospital.

SCDF said two persons were brought to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and another two persons to Sengkang General Hospital.

ICA released a statement later that day on the incident.

Calling it an accident that "should not have happened", ICA said they are treating it very seriously, and are assisting the Traffic Police.

ICA said preliminary investigations found that the contraflow operation was activated before barriers were put in place, which was not in accordance with their safety procedures.

What is contraflow?

ICA explained what is contraflow traffic management, and why they have been conducting it.

They said due to the high number of traffic and "infrastructural constraints" at the land checkpoints, they had been conducting contraflow traffic management to ease traffic congestion during the "daily peak".

One of these measures include converting departure lane for heavy vehicles at the causeway into an arrival lane. This is to expedite the arrival of heavy vehicles which might be blocking traffic along the Causeway.

"During this time, should the departing car traffic surge, part of the departure cargo zone may be converted to clear cars departing Woodlands Checkpoint, to minimise the tailback of traffic along the BKE.

As part of ICA’s safety procedures, barriers would be set up to divert departing car traffic away from the contraflow lane (arriving heavy vehicles using the departure lane for heavy vehicles)."

Operation was activated before barriers were setup, said ICA.

"However, in this accident, preliminary investigations found that the contraflow operation was activated before barriers were put in place, which was not in accordance with our safety procedures."

They have also immediately implemented a safety pause by suspending contraflow operations at both land checkpoints over the weekend, and will "comprehensively review" their safety measures before resuming contraflow operations.

"Motorists can expect some delays in the interim and we apologise for any inconvenience."

Image from 小雪游记/Xiaohongshu