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25km of new bus lanes; 'give way' scheme to cover 135 more baysMORE bus lanes and special bus bays will be added to Singapore roads from later this month, to give commuters a smoother ride.儲存倉The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced yesterday that work will begin to create 25km of new bus lanes at 13 road corridors islandwide, including notoriously congested ones such as Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and Bedok North Avenue 3.The LTA will also roll out the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme to another 135 bus bays from next month, bringing the total number of such bays to more than 300 islandwide. Motorists approaching bus stops with this scheme have to stop and give way to exiting buses.An LTA spokesman said the measures are meant to improve overall reliability and bus speeds, so that buses run more regularly. They also complement the ongoing $1.1 billion programme to enhance the overall bus network.The expansion of the bus lane scheme is the first since 2008.Over the last five years, bus speeds in these lanes have improved by up to 7 per cent, the LTA said.There are currently two types of bus lanes, full-day and normal. Motorists cannot drive in normal bus lanes from 7.30am to 9.30am and 5pm to 8pm on weekdays.There are currently 23km of full-day bus lanes and 155km of normal bus lanes.The new ones were selected based on two criteria: there must be enough buses plying the road, and 迷你倉最平ach of these roads must have at least three traffic lanes.The first 2.8km of new bus lanes will appear from Oct 14 along Kampong Bahru Road, Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and Orchard Boulevard. Other stretches will be added later on.Meanwhile, more motorists seem to be staying out of bus lanes. The LTA nabbed an average of 1,840 motorists each month this year, down from 3,018 in 2011 and 4,399 in 2009. Offenders can be fined $130.Experts say there is room for more bus lanes, despite the inconvenience for motorists.Retired LTA planner Gopinath Menon said buses tend to travel at about 60 per cent the speed of cars, and are also held up by other vehicles in the leftmost lane. More buses are also being put on the road, he pointed out.Said the associate professor from Nanyang Technological University: "One bus carries an average of 60 people, compared to 1.4 for a car. Since buses move more people, it's only fair we give them priority."Commuters and even some motorists agree.Part-time cleaner Rosmabiah Supardi, who takes service 88 every morning to Toa Payoh from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, said the road gets very congested in the morning peak hour. "It's right to have a bus lane, if not the buses have difficulty moving," she said.Said civil servant Ramesh A, 45, who regularly drives along the same road: "Having a bus lane can get on our nerves. But we have to be fair to commuters."roysim@sph.com.sg儲存