The Notorious Motorbike at Singapore Checkpoints

For all those of you who have traveled to Singapore via JB, will know how terrible and notorious these jams(Woodlands and Tuas) are. Normal days we would be stuck at the checkpoint jam for around 1.5 to 2.5 hours per day. During the peak season(e.g the Mas Selamat or whenever SG Home Ministry imagine of some security issues), the jam could easily be 6-7 hours per day. My personal best was 6 hours only. In a our typical time spent worst case scenario: Work : 9.5 hours Checkpoint jam : 6.0 hours Actual Traveling : 1.5 hours TOTAL : 17 hours As you can see, many of us has barely time to sleep. Thats why many like myself choose to ride bicycle to cross the checkpoints. However time is not the most worrying of issue. While being stuck in these jams, we inhale toxic exhaust fumes for hours every day. We suffer serious deterioration of health. As a fellow kakitambak once remarked that we all will die of terrible death. He regretted that unlike his grandmother in Kampar, he will suffer painful death and could not die graciously. Barage of complaints/criticism sent to the press of both sides have not brought positives changes to situation on the ground. The SG government will always give some sort of bureaucratic excuse in reply.

Kaki tambak?

Not too sure whether anyone has used the term kaki tambak before. Anyway from now on I will loosely define kaki tambak as people who travel the causeways everyday to work in Singapore.

My 1st Post

For my 1st post, I would like to share my everyday fight to earn a few Sing Dollars : 0530 Wake up and prepare for work. 0600 Leave home. 0630 Park my Proton Saga at JB town car park. 0700 Ride bicycle to Singapore. 0740 Clear the checkpoints. Lock my bicycle at Woodlands Central. 0745 Ridemotorbike to office. 0820 Reach office. Clean up dirt and sweat with wet towel. 0830 Start working 1800 Finish work(provided no OT) and ride motorbike 1845 Reached Woodlands central. Lock my motorbike. 1850 Ride bicycle back to JB. 1920 Reached JB town. Drive my Proton back home. 2000 Home sweet home These are the typical daily regime many of us in JB go through. There are of course many other regime which hopefully I will be able to share later on.