Restrictions and traffic orders on specified roads
Road Traffic Act s 113 allows specified road orders to restrict vehicle classes, routes and traffic direction, with statutory limits on access and duration and an offence for contravention.
Primary source: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/RTA1961?ProvIds=pr113-
Orders for specified roads
Under section 113(1) of the Road Traffic Act, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, with the Minister’s concurrence, may make an order in the Gazette prohibiting or restricting vehicles, or a specified class or description of vehicles, from driving on a specified road in Singapore. This power applies where the Deputy Commissioner is satisfied that the vehicles cannot use the road without endangering safety, or cannot use it safely unless their use is restricted, or that the road is unsuitable for their use or unrestricted use. An order may set exceptions or conditions, including for occasional users (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 113).
Section 113(2) also allows orders, so far as consistent with the rules, to specify vehicle routes; restrict specified vehicle classes from using roads generally or at particular times; require one-way travel on a specified road; otherwise regulate traffic; or prohibit or regulate using a road or part of it to display, hire or sell vehicles or animals (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 113).
An order under subsection (2) cannot prevent the access that may reasonably be required for vehicles of any class or description to premises on or next to the road. An order stated to be temporary can remain in force only for the period specified, which cannot exceed 3 months. An order not stated to be temporary must be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after Gazette publication and may be annulled or amended by parliamentary resolution (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 113).
Using, or causing or permitting the use of, a vehicle in breach of an order under section 113 is an offence. Section 113 does not set a separate penalty. Where no special penalty applies, the Act’s default maximum for a first offence is a $1,000 fine, imprisonment for up to 3 months, or both; for a second or subsequent offence, it is a $2,000 fine, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 113; Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 131(2)).
How this differs from work-related road restrictions
Section 113 orders are made by the Deputy Commissioner of Police with the Minister’s concurrence. Section 115 gives the Land Transport Authority a separate power to restrict or prohibit traffic because road construction or repair is required or underway; it also allows temporary restrictions where delay would risk public danger or serious road damage. Section 115 requires public notice or notice to affected persons, and alternative-route information where applicable (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 113 and 115).
Coverage debt
- This article summarizes section 113, but does not catalogue every Gazette order currently in force. Drivers should check the applicable order and current road information for a particular route; the statute does not provide a single list of all active section 113 restrictions (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 113).
- The article gives the Act’s default court-penalty maxima where no special penalty is provided; any composition amount or additional consequence under a particular order or other provision is not inferred (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 113 and 131).