“Six
hours, I was jammed on the causeway for six hours!” this was overheard from a
frustrated motorist who finally made his way across the causeway on the
Singapore national day long weekend.
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| Typical view of causeway, choc-a-bloc with vehicles crossing the border between JB and Singapore |
When
I told a friend about that sickening 6-hour causeway crawl, she smugly replied
with a tale of someone who was in the same queue but decided to turn back into
Singapore. This took another two hours
which kept him stuck in traffic for a total of eight hours! Considering the time wasted waiting in
traffic to cross the causeway, one could have comfortably driven to Kuala
Lumpur, enjoyed a meal and safely returned to Johor Baru, with time to spare!
As
the gateway into peninsular Malaysia, JB is a popular destination not only for
Singaporeans but also for tourists who arrive via Singapore. The favourable currency exchange rate coupled
with the Singaporean need to escape from the confines of the city state, draws them
to Johor in spite of the horrific causeway congestion during weekends and
holidays. The epic traffic snarl is
however expected because of the sheer volume of vehicles.
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| An artist's impression of the inside of the travellator as commuters walk in air-conditioned comfort |
The
causeway crawl is a perennial problem because both countries have a shared
history and many people commute daily for business, work, school, shopping and
entertainment. While commuters must get
to school, work and business at specific hours, frequent travelers know how to
avoid peak hours and often sail across the causeway to shop, eat and wash their
cars.
Since
August 2014, Singapore raised Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fees and tolls for
foreign registered cars (S$35) while the rate remained unchanged at S$4 for
motorcycles, charged for each day from 2am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Malaysian motorists enjoy 10 VEP free days
per calendar year and extended free hours when they enter Singapore from 12
noon during school term holidays.
After
years of deliberation, Malaysia announced that with effect from Sept 1, 2015, Singapore
registered vehicles entering Malaysia are required to be registered with
Malaysia’s Road Transport Department.
This registration is mandatory for all private vehicles, public buses,
taxis, goods vehicles and diplomatic cars.
Online registrations started on Aug 15 at a RM10 charge, valid for five
years.
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| An artist's impression of the external view of an elevated travellator for commuters to cross the causeway |
These
vehicles will be issued with a Radio Frequency Identification card, a tag that
needed to be renewed upon expiry or when the motorist buys a new car. Upon registration, Singapore vehicles will be
allowed through the Johor checkpoints for a one-month trial period from Sept 1
to 30. From Oct 1 onwards, Singapore
registered cards will be charged RM20 VEP per vehicle, paid only by using the
Touch ‘n Go card.
Motorists
who work and do business on either side of the causeway and especially parents
whose children study in Singapore, are feeling the pinch of the VEP and tolls
implementation because it may further escalate in what is seen as a tit-for-tat
exchange between the two nations. Sadly
the rationale is that if you can afford to work, do business or study in
Singapore, you can also afford to pay the VEP and tolls.
On
July 1, there was a collective sigh of relief when Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM)
launched the Tebrau Shuttle to ferry commuters between JB Sentral to Woodlands
station in just five minutes. This
service is popular with commuters who enjoy the convenient border crossing offered
in a total of seven trips each from JB and Woodlands during morning and evening
peak hours. But departures from JB
Sentral at 5.30am, 7am, 8.30am, 4pm, 5.30pm, 7pm and 10pm, and from Woodlands
at 6.30am, 8am, 9.30am, 5pm, 6.30pm, 8pm and 11pm, are just not enough.
While
many hailed the hassle-free Tebrau Shuttle as a viable solution, commuters wished
that there were more than just seven trips from each country. But for now, the shuttle which costs RM5 from
JB and S$5 from Woodlands, is definitely a welcome relieve from suffering
traffic jams when taking the bus or driving across the causeway.
Before
the causeway checkpoint was relocated to the Sultan Iskandar Customs
Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex, it was common for commuters to cross
the causeway on foot. Since the CIQ
complex opened in 2010, Malaysia prohibited walking across while Singapore
still allows this practice. Recently when
traffic was at a virtual standstill, commuters were allowed to walk the
causeway again but security has been tightened to stop people leaving Malaysia
through an illegal route!
The
idea of creating a dedicated pedestrian walkway across the causeway is not new
because it was discussed before. But when
I heard it again at a recent Rotary Club of Johor Baru event, I thought it was
very timely and could become a reality now.
After in-coming president, Freddie A C Lee, outlined the club’s
community projects, his proposal to create an iconic landmark for Johor – a
Causeway Travellator – received thunderous applause from the audience.
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| A proposed layout plan with twin pairs of travellators for commuters to walk to and from Johor and Singapore |
He
said a covered, air-conditioned pedestrian walkway will provide a more comfortable
and convenient walk across the causeway that will not only benefit commuters
but also boost the economies of both nations.
Lee did not hesitate to share an artist’s impression of the Causeway
Travellator with me and explained that it is not unlike the travellators in
airports.
Lee
showed a layout plan to illustrate how twin pairs of travellators are proposed
for commuters to walk in an orderly way to and from Johor and Singapore, and
even factored in kiosks that may be leased to traders or used as rest areas
between the lengths of travellators.
So
before the proposed high-speed trains are implemented or another bridge –
crooked or otherwise – is built, I wish to urge our city-planning authorities
to give this proposal some serious thought.
While the Causeway Travellator may not solve all the traffic issues, it
will certainly complement the existing border crossing modes. This Travellator will not only facilitate a
smoother flow of people and be another iconic landmark in the changing Iskandar
Malaysia landscape but will further cement the cordial relationship between
Malaysia and Singapore.
A version of this was published in the August 2015 issue of The Iskandarian
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