LTA crackdown on heavy vehicle effective?

[Apollo]

Errant truckers' crackdown

 

22 nabbed for speeding, 227 summonses issued in 10 joint operations since May

By Sujin Thomas

 

THE traffic authorities mounted a crackdown on heavy vehicle drivers yesterday for speeding and other traffic offences.

 

It was the 10th joint operation by the Traffic Police, Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Jurong Inspection Centre held since May to clamp down on errant drivers of heavy vehicles, whose numbers have been rising.

 

Drivers who got pulled over yesterday received warnings or summonses on the spot.

One of the luckier ones was a cement-mixer driver who wanted to be known only as Mr Lew. He was stopped at a roadblock in Tampines Link, a popular road that heavy vehicles ply daily.

 

An LTA officer who inspected his cement mixer found its brake lights to be faulty and the licence plates covered in mud.

 

'I'll fix it now, I'll fix it now,' he said repeatedly in Malay before being let off with a warning.

 

He immediately got down to fixing the problem - replacing the brake light bulbs and scrubbing down his licence plates with water - in a nearby heavy vehicle wash.

 

The 54-year-old driver, who has more than 20 years of experience driving heavy vehicles, said: 'Luckily they didn't issue me with a summons.'

 

Traffic Police senior staff sergeant Mohd Fadzil, 34, told The Straits Times: 'Drivers usually say they didn't know when we catch them for not displaying their speed-limiter labels or for not carrying a breakdown sign with them.

 

'But those caught for speeding usually don't say much because we clock speeds with our laser speed guns. They'll just ask for another chance.'

 

Speed limits for heavy vehicles vary between 40kmh and 60kmh.

 

In the 10 operations mounted from May, 22 heavy vehicle drivers were caught speeding while 66 summonses were issued for offences involving the speed limiter, a device which prevents the vehicle from travelling beyond its speed limit.

 

A further 161 summonses were issued for other violations.

 

In all, 1,397 heavy vehicle drivers were nabbed in the first half of this year for flouting road rules. The figure was 1,160 for the whole of last year.

 

Oil reservoir analyst Tuang Kwong Feng, 44, said that although the clampdown was a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to curb speeding. 'Heavy vehicle drivers earn money from the number of trips they make, so they often drive recklessly,' he said.

 

Educational posters were also handed out to drivers and many were advised on road safety rules.

 

Roving teams of Traffic Police officers on motorcycles and patrol cars also conducted checks in the vicinity.

 

Last Tuesday, a National University of Singapore professor was killed after being hit by a heavy vehicle at the junction of Commonwealth Avenue West and Clementi Road.

 

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http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_275411.html

[Ccssgm]

Another Big Lobang for LTA

Year End Big Bonus Again

[Robo]

come to think about it... i did spot quite a few truckers being stopped at the road side...

[Yoongf]

What is the fine for tampering with speed limiter?

 

If so many ppl are caught doing it, doesn't that suggest that the fine is not a deterrent?

 

Tampering is a deliberate act, hard to argue that din know.. shd up the fine to around $5K, that should make a real difference. Standard of living go up, so should fines to ensure sufficient deterence.

 

Sg govt past decade was trying to avoid the term "fine city". In reality, most other developed nations have substantially more laws and fines than Sg now. That is why when Sg ppl go holiday, always think there nicer place to live. In LA, drive car slowly blast music (crusing) is even unlawful. Park car illegally in private property is as good as giving the car away, according to city ordinances.

[Shorty]

they should mount de speed gun at AYE.everyday i go back using AYE there will sure b a few heavy vehicles speeding.some will go more den 90km/h.n if their size...it is really fast.n...they will even overtake u one lane 1.very very dangerous as i'm riding a bike.de speed they r at overtaking me..can cause my bike to sway.imagine if an old uncle is riding n they speed past?...

 

but seldom do i see TP along AYE.de few times dat i see them there...they r speeding of to dunno where.i even know which lorry will speed when i see them.one particular lorry is from de company jietong heatec or something.dis lorry is transporting foreign workers n speeding like he's sending them to hell.

[W2wwong]

In the 10 operations mounted from May, 22 heavy vehicle drivers were caught speeding while 66 summonses were issued for offences involving the speed limiter, a device which prevents the vehicle from travelling beyond its speed limit.

 

in the 10 operations, they only managed to nab 22 drivers, since may somemore. that means an average of 2.2 drivers for each operation.

 

their operation only last 5 mins issit?

[Reuters]

i think they must be sitting in the car enjoying the aircon and music for the rest of the operation..

 

we can see so many heavy vehicles speeding daily on the road but they can only catch 22 drivers.. i think they target passenger cars more than heavy vehicles.. i believe their daily quota will be more than what they got for 10 operations..

[Leepee]

I don't mind if the heavy vehicles are travelling at the speed limit of 80-90km/hr.

 

I only mind when they under speed in the middle lane! It caused a pseudo traffic jam in the middle lane. More care will change to lane 1, and causing those fast moving cars in lane 1 to brake, and in the end both the lane1 & 2 will travel at the same speed as the heavy vehicle at 70km/hr!

[W2wwong]

i think they must be sitting in the car enjoying the aircon and music for the rest of the operation..

 

we can see so many heavy vehicles speeding daily on the road but they can only catch 22 drivers.. i think they target passenger cars more than heavy vehicles.. i believe their daily quota will be more than what they got for 10 operations..

 

just like when they replied my email asking them what measures are they taking to curb cycling on pedestrian footpaths.

 

they said in the whole of 2006, they issued a grand total of 600 fines. not even 2 a day!

[Silver_blade]

I agree. There are a lot more on the road. I see speeding trucks everyday....many of them, every day without fail. Especially along AYE/ECP.

[Apollo]

ya.. abit low. compared to 17 hookers caught monthly in geylang.

 

[Ahwhye]

AYE is at least almost straigth expressway lah, wait till you kenna them where no TP will venture hor, like me the other day in Neo Tew, narrow winding road and a big tipper carrying full of granite gravel just charged toward me from behind at some insane speed that you wun wanna try even in your sedan......

 

BTW hometeam was reported to be understaffed leh, TP also very bo eng one, got to do escort, got to do accident, got to do alot leh, so i think i can understand them about their "efficiency" .