Following news of long queues at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Saturday (Jun 4) due to tailback from Malaysia, members from the online community wondered why improvements weren’t made during the two years of border restrictions.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced in a Facebook post that there was heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint due to tailback from Malaysia.
“Delays are expected. Please check One Motoring website before embarking on your journey,” it added.
A photo was posted by Facebook user Jasmine Cheong, giving a glimpse of the snaking queues leading to immigration counters at around 11 am on Saturday.
Bus stops were also jampacked.
“After a two-year closure, still no improvement,” commented Facebook user Perry Low on the announcement.
It appears that many share the same sentiments, noting the tailback was always from Malaysia’s end.
“They have two years to improve, but it seems that two years, they just idling,” added Facebook user Ali Yahya Raee.
“They have NOT improved even after a 2-year hiatus. Want people to go in and spend but make it so frustrating for people…aiyo,” said Facebook user Joey Foo in frustration.
Meanwhile, one Jessica Lee commented that “as a Malaysian,” improvements weren’t in the plans.
“All the comments saying JB CIQ never improve, but as a M’sian, I’m quite sure that improving the quality of staff/facility is probably not even in their plan,” she noted.
Netizens also mentioned that the queues are quite normal during peak hours. “Isn’t this the standard sight to behold every single weekend? If they truly want to solve this problem, both country needs to agree to have automated clearance without the need for manual lane clearance,” said Facebook user Soh Zi Yang.
Another netizen added, “Knowing it’s a weekend, it’ll be 99.98 per cent chances you’ll be stuck. And still want to complain.”
Others mentioned the government’s plan to expand the Woodlands Checkpoint by acquiring nine Housing and Development Board blocks in Marsiling.
ICA announced on May 26 that the checkpoint will be expanded to meet future traffic demand, which is projected at a 40 per cent increase in traffic volumes by 2050.
However, some netizens said that the expansion would not resolve issues if the bottleneck was from the other side./TISG
