The Straits Times
17 January 2024

ICA uses multi-pronged approach to ease congestion

We refer to Mr Tan Jeh Yaw’s letter, “Congestion at checkpoints can diminish benefits from proposed Iskandar SEZ” (10 January 2024).

Our land checkpoints are one of the busiest land crossings in the world, with about 400,000 travellers using both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints daily. This figure goes up to 440,000 during school and public holidays.

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) adopts a multi-pronged approach to alleviate traffic congestion and continuously reviews checkpoint operations to enhance the efficiency of immigration clearance processes and traveller experience at the land checkpoints.

ICA monitors traffic conditions in real-time and dynamically adjusts the deployment of officers to manage the traffic situation. Clearance lanes are also converted flexibly for different modes of conveyances in response to traffic conditions. For example, car zones can be converted to clear motorcycles during peak periods. This mitigates the risk of the motorcycle queues ballooning along the Causeway/Second Link and BKE/AYE and blocking other vehicles from entering the checkpoints.

ICA has also adopted innovative solutions to automate immigration clearance for travellers. In recent years, we installed 90 more automated lanes at the bus hall, and automated clearance is the default for bus travellers today. This allows us to redeploy officers for car clearance.

From early 2024, ICA will progressively roll out contactless clearance for all modes of travel. These solutions leverage technology, which help to increase clearance throughput and significantly reduce the reliance on manpower for immigration clearance.

Woodlands Checkpoint is scheduled to be redeveloped, and this will allow us to further increase our clearance capacity and throughput, reducing travel time from 60 minutes to 15 minutes during peak periods.

We hope that travellers can understand that ICA’s finite number of officers are already maximally deployed across various parts of the checkpoints when on duty. ICA also has to ensure that security at both land checkpoints is maintained with the large volume of travellers crossing the borders daily.

Patrick Ong
Head, Strategic Communications and Media Relations
Corporate Communications and Service Division
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority

<Original Letter>

The Straits Times
10 January 2024

Congestion at checkpoints can diminish benefits from proposed Iskandar SEZ

I refer to the report “Johor proposes Iskandar be S’pore-Malaysia SEZ” (Jan 6). I agree that the designation of the business hub Iskandar Malaysia as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) between Singapore and Malaysia will benefit both countries.

However, it is imperative that we solve the problem of the traffic congestion experienced by users on both sides of the Johor Causeway and Tuas Second Link.

Regular or frequent users of the Causeway and Second Link can vouch that it is normal to wait in a queue on either side for up to three hours.

One can understand the heavy traffic during festive occasions and school holidays. However, during weekdays also, it is common for travellers to be stuck at either side for up to an hour.

One possible reason for such bad congestion is that often fewer than 40 per cent of the immigration counters are operational per zone.

One way to solve the traffic congestion is to ensure that, at any one time, at least 80 per cent of all immigration counters are operational.

If Iskandar is officially designated a Singapore-Malaysia SEZ, the volume of traffic will only increase.

The start of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link is still at least two years away, barring any unforeseen delays.

Unless more immigration counters are operational at all times, the traffic congestion at the checkpoints will diminish any benefit the proposed SEZ may bring to both countries.

Tan Jeh Yaw