Singapore – It appears that the past two weeks of heavy downpour have led to numerous potholes in Singapore roads, resulting in a call by public members for prompt repairs as they pose a danger to motorists.
A Remy Hans took to Complaint Singapore’s Facebook page on Thursday (Jan 14) to highlight the a compilation of potholes taken in Singapore.
“I just wanna share some of the ‘holes’ collection on SG roads,” wrote Mr Hans. He attached 13 photos of potholes in varying conditions and locations such as Shenton Way, North Woodlands Link, and Sims Avenue.
One could even fit an umbrella.
Understandably, the recent period of heavy rains has led to the formation of the potholes. The wet conditions result in water finding its way and accumulating under the pavement. It then washes out layers of stone and dirt supporting the road’s surface layer, as explained by pothole.info.
As vehicles pass over such compromised spots, the top layer collapses or crumbles, resulting in a pothole. They are a safety hazard to road users, especially motorcyclists who need to dodge the crevices or risk losing control and stability of their motorcycles.
In a separate account on Jan 3, Facebook user Kelvin KT also uploaded a video in Complaint Singapore of a pothole located along Kampong Bahru Road. “Accident waiting to happen. Especially those LTA (Land Transport Authority)-compliant e-bikes with tiny wheels,” noted the concerned individual.
In response to the posts, members from the online community urged others to report such sightings to LTA for immediate action.
Meanwhile, others confirmed that it was standard for LTA to address the issues a few days after a heavy downpour. “I had once encountered this. I took photos and address of it then sent it to the area Town Council, Member of Parliament, LTA and Minister of Transport. Within two to three days, the work was completed,” said Facebook user Candy Hadi.
“Standard, la after a few days of heavy downpour, LTA will patch it up as soon as possible,” added Facebook user Ksatria Stoink Nasir.
According to a mothership.sg report, some of the potholes have already been addressed by the authorities.
Motorists can share the responsibility of alerting the authorities of possible road hazards by calling LTA at 1800-225-5582.
Then Minister for Transport Mr Khaw Boon Wan responded to a similar concern raised in Parliament in 2018 by highlighting that LTA typically repairs potholes within 24 hours upon discovery.
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) maintains more than 100 km of expressways, more than 700 km of arterial roads, and more than 2,000 km of minor roads in Singapore. LTA conducts inspections regularly to ensure their serviceability, looking out for not only potholes, but also defects in lane markings, signs, kerbs, et cetera. The frequency of the inspections ranges from once a week for expressways to once every two weeks for major roads to once every eight weeks for minor roads. Defects such as potholes are typically repaired within 24 hours upon discovery.”
“Members of the public who wish to provide feedback on road matters can do so by calling the LTA Hotline,” said Mr Khaw.
“LTA also takes additional measures to reduce the frequency of the occurrence of potholes, ranging from patching of localised road sections to resurfacing of entire stretches of roads. LTA is also studying the feasibility of using asphalt preserver and asphalt mix additives to prevent the formations of potholes.”