Traffic Diversion Plans to Handle Major Traffic Jams

Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the traffic diversion plans to handle events of major traffic jams caused by road accidents or incidents; and (b) whether LTA will consider putting mobile columns as road dividers that are similar to the movable potted plants placed along ECP so that traffic diversions and U-turns can be made in such events.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Traffic diversions are managed by the Traffic Police, with support from the Land Transport Authority. Typically, the Traffic Police would deploy officers to divert traffic away from the accident site and ensure that motorists continue to drive safely. The Land Transport Authority would facilitate the traffic diversion by adjusting traffic light timings along diversion corridors, and disseminating incident information on the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) and various online and radio channels.

The Member suggested the use of mobile columns like those in ECP as road dividers so that in the event of an accident, they could be flexibly removed to allow for traffic diversion. However, these mobile columns cannot be easily reconfigured at short notice.