MANDATORY GIVE WAY TO BUSES SCHEME

MANDATORY GIVE WAY TO BUSES SCHEME

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(Implementation): **

38.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport (a) if he will provide details as to which other countries have implemented the "Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme"; and (b) whether there have been any studies to show that such a scheme is effective and can be implemented without causing accidents to other motorists.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Besides Singapore, other countries that have implemented schemes that make it mandatory to give way to buses include Australia, most countries in the European Union, and some parts of Canada and the United States. Buses in these countries have priority when leaving some bus stops or changing in between lanes, and motorists are required to give way to the buses. Thus far, there is no evidence linking any increase in accident rates with the operation of the scheme in these countries.

The Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme is not an entirely a new initiative in Singapore. In 2005, the LTA and the public bus operators launched a campaign to encourage motorists to voluntarily give way to buses leaving bus bays. Observations

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during the campaign have shown that motorists are able to give way to buses safely, and bus journey times improved when motorists do so.

However, the success of the earlier campaign depended on the voluntary good-will and courtesy of motorists to give way. In practice, some motorists gave way, some did not, so that on the whole, bus travel times remained unreliable.

But with growing travel demand in land-scarce Singapore, we need to make public transport more attractive. We cannot do so without making buses faster and more reliable, by giving buses more priority on the roads. Hence LTA has introduced the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme. Nonetheless, we are sensitive to the needs of other road users. We have therefore adopted a cautious approach, to first pilot this scheme along three roads for an initial period of three months. This is to test how it works in practice and for us to examine any potential issues that might arise before deciding on full implementation.

LTA has taken great care in designing the pilot to ensure safety for all road users. The pilot locations are along roads that have a speed limit of 60 km per hour or lower. As with pedestrian zebra crossings, motorists are given adequate warning. Two consecutive give-way triangles have been painted on the roads, and special traffic signs put up, 50 metres to 70 metres away so that motorists have sufficient time to react when approaching a Give Way to Buses Zone. To ensure that motorists know about the pilot, LTA has sent detailed information brochures in the four official languages to all registered car owners and taxi companies. Similarly, LTA has worked with the bus operators to train bus drivers, so that they clearly signal their intentions and watching out for vehicles when pulling out of bus bays. Also, reminder messages are aired over the radio regularly, to alert road users to the scheme.

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