We thank Mr Colin Tan Weijian for his feedback (“Unique problems causing congestion along Orchard Road”; March 11).

Bus stops along Orchard Road are intentionally staggered to avoid creating congestion brought about by too many bus services calling at a bus stop.

Bus lane dividers, as suggested by Mr Tan, unfortunately do not address the issue of left-turning cars, and, in fact, hinder buses from changing lanes.

Introducing bus stops on the right side of the road for Orchard Road alone is also not a viable solution in our urban landscape.

To alleviate the bunching of buses, the Bus Priority Box scheme, which was recently introduced on Monday, will facilitate bus movements from one lane to another.

In addition, clear signs and road markings indicating bus lane operation hours serve to remind drivers to give way to buses.

We will continue to study traffic flow in busy areas to ensure bus timeliness and reliability along Orchard Road.

Helen Lim (Ms)
Group Director, Corporate Communications Group
Land Transport Authority