ROAD SAFETY AT BEDOK RESERVOIR ROAD

Encik Zulkifli bin Mohammed asked the Minister for Home Affairs if he is aware that Bedok Reservoir Road (from Bedok North Avenue 3 junction to Jalan Eunos junction) has become hazardous and what enforcement action will be taken by the Traffic Police to improve safety on this stretch of road in view of the daily indiscriminate driving by drivers of heavy vehicles serving the construction site in the vicinity and the illegal kerbside parking by vehicles throughout the day.

Prof. S. Jayakumar: In the first three quarters of this year, there were 29 accidents along Bedok Reservoir Road between its junction with Bedok North Avenue 3 and its junction with Jalan Eunos. Fifteen of them involved heavy vehicles. The number of accidents on this road is considered high.

The heavy flow of traffic, speeding vehicles, and illegal parking along the road are the main factors which have contributed to the high number of accidents.

The Traffic Police are aware of the high accident rate at this location and have taken strict enforcement action to curb speeding and illegal parking. Between January and September this year, 238 vehicles were booked for speeding and 1,457 for illegal parking along the kerbside.

The Traffic Police and the Roads Division of the PWD had carried out joint site inspections of the road to determine how the flow of traffic and pedestrians could be better regulated. Following the site inspections, two traffic lights were recently installed in the area. One is a signalised pedestrian crossing light in front of Block 713, a point used by a large number of pedestrians patronising the hawker centre at Block 739. The other is a signalised traffic light near Block 704. The traffic lights became operational on 17 October 1985.

The installation of the two traffic lights and strict enforcement action is expected to reduce the number of accidents and improve road safety along the road. The number of patrols there has also been increased and the situation is being closely monitored.