Bus beats red light as 3 people were crossing the road near Yuhua Market

Singapore — Three pedestrians were centimetres away from being struck by an SBS Transit bus as it sped past them, against a red light.

Stayed Alert

On Monday (Jan 3), the Facebook group Beh Chia Lor – Singapore Road shared dashcam footage of an SBS bus running a red light along Jurong East Avenue 1 on Dec 28 at around 6.10 pm.

The footage shows a man holding a young girl’s hand, and a woman, a step behind them,  making their way across a traffic light crossing.  The crossing signal is blinking but still in their favour when an SBS Transit bus cuts across their path.

In this short clip, the woman, possibly the girl’s mother, pauses, evidently having noticed the bus, but the man, still holding the hand of his daughter, continues. Fortunately, he turns in time to see the fast-approaching bus and stops in his track, restraining the girl to avoid being hit.

As the bus approached the pedestrian crossing, the woman regarded the bus back and forth as if perplexed as to why it was beating the red light.

Netizens Reactions

The video has prompted more than 38,000 comments, with different expressions of outrage, condemning the errant bus driver.

Other netizens have questioned the bus company’s response to the driver’s actions, saying that many reckless drivers disregard the safety and lives of other road users.

SBS responds

SBS Transit told AsiaOne on Monday (Jan 3) that it had conducted an investigation into the incident and did not condone the bus captain’s “dangerous actions”.

Ms Tammy Tan, senior vice-president (corporate communications) for the company, said:

“We are thankful that no one was injured and would like to apologise to the pedestrians for the distress caused. We take a very serious view of this lapse and will be taking stern disciplinary action against the bus captain.”

The Road Traffic Act states that violating a red light while driving a light vehicle makes the driver liable for a $400 fine and 12 demerit points. Beating a red light while driving a heavy vehicle attracts a penalty of a $500 fine and 12 demerit points.

In December last year, a woman pushing a baby stroller came within seconds of being struck by a van that attempted to run a red light in Bukit Batok. /TISG

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