Happy New Year!

With the MCE opened on Sunday, motorists were looking forward to a smooth commute to and from work. However, that was what they didn’t get, for there where huge jams on both sides of the MCE. Certain portions of the ECP have been closed and redirected as a result of the new expressway opening.. This means new slip roads and diversions to further add to the confusion and jam. Not only that, segments of the new slip roads are not able to cope with the high traffic flow; sharp turns out from ECP and narrowing of lanes all contribute to bottlenecks that eventually led to a jam. Once motorists got onto the expressway, the situation wasn’t any better, for most found themselves stuck in a 1 hour jam on the road.  Of course, one can’t push all the blame on the engineers of the road, for the expressway is new and it is natural for people to get lost in an attempt to familiarise themselves with the flow of the roads. Also, ongoing construction in various sections also mean that traffic will have to be slowed down in those areas.

Transport Minister, Lui Tuck Yew, announced via Facebook on Tuesday that further improvements will be made to the new MCE to make travel smoother. One of the planned refinements is to put up more signs to help guide motorists on the fatest way to reach their destinations. Not only that, information on distance will be put up as well; the signs will be put at a fixed distance away from the exit, to reduce the amount of last minute swerving into the lane to get off the expressway.  The LTA have made some immediate adjustments since the opening of the MCE; a short stretch of Central Boulevard have been converted from two to four lanes to cope with the added traffic, signages have been improved and traffic light timings have been optimised. One marked improvement straightaway is the smoother traffic flow. As compared to the 1st 2 days, traffic on the MCE has been more smooth flowing, with lower traffic volume and more familiarity among motorists touted as the main reason in the reduction of bottlenecks.

Reckless drivers and road bullies beware. A local Facebook page has gained much popularity recently in the wake of several high profile incidents on local roads. It was set up to share and spread information on careless and dangerous drivers on our roads. The page was set up in September 2011 but has recently gained popularity with stunning videos of accidents and road rage caught on dashboard cameras.