CUT in front of a bus which has the lane all to its own and you risk getting yourself on tape - and a $130 fine.
Last year's Land Transport Authority (LTA) trial of video cameras fixed on buses to capture those who stray into bus lanes will go full steam ahead from June 2.
Eleven new stretches of road - all in the Central Business District (CBD) - will be made full-day bus lanes by then as part of efforts to get bus speeds up.
Ninety buses which use these lanes will have the cameras installed in front, next to the bus captain's seat.
Bus captains who spot other motorists in their way need only press a white button to record the scene unfolding in front of them.
The time and date will be recorded as well, followed by a five- to 10-minute clip. The video will go to the LTA and the errant motorist can expect a summons within two weeks.
Mr Jeremy Yap, LTA's group director for vehicle and transit licensing, said such cameras mounted on buses on the move will give 'greater coverage'' of offences committed by motorists.
'We also don't want a complicated system where it will affect the normal operations,' he said.
The LTA tested these cameras last year to determine how effective the coverage was and whether it would inconvenience bus captains.
The cost of maintaining the cameras will be shared between SBS Transit and the LTA.
SBS Transit chief bus captain Joseph Yap said he has motorists in front of him all the time, especially along Robinson Road and Collyer Quay: 'It's frustrating when we see cars stopping or waiting in the bus lane but we cannot do anything about it. At least now we can.'
Every month, about 2,000 people are fined for flouting the bus-lane rule.
Four in five are caught straying into bus lanes where entry by other vehicles is barred in weekday mornings and evenings.
The rest venture into full-day bus lanes, which now cover six stretches of road, including Orchard Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.
The ban on other vehicles on these lanes is between 7.30am and 8pm, except on Sundays and public holidays.
Besides announcing tougher enforcement of bus-lane rules, the LTA yesterday gave details of which stretches of roads will be converted into full-day bus lanes.
They include parts of Grange Road, Collyer Quay and Robinson Road, where at least 40 to 50 buses ply the road every hour, even during off-peak hours.
Before bus lanes were introduced in 1974, buses along some stretches of roads moved at between 10kmh and 15kmh. Bus speeds have since gone up to 25kmh.
Smooth flow of buses, especially in the CBD area, is one reason for the 'cabstand only' rule started in March.
On roads plied by buses, taxis can pick up or drop off passengers only at taxi stands, to avoid getting in their way.
Motorists can expect even more roads designated as bus lanes by the end of the year.
The LTA said it is looking at roads in Ang Mo Kio, as well as Commonwealth Avenue and Simei Avenue among others.
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