Stallholders say longer jams at the Causeway are affecting their business.
IT was dinner time at the Woodlands Food Centre.
But not much was cooking. The tables were empty, some of the stalls closed.
Among the few that were open, business was down to a trickle.
It's never been this bad, said stallholders at the food centre near the Causeway.
With tighter border checks, the traffic jams, which have always been there, have gone from bad to worse.
And they are turning customers away.
One operator in his 50s, who wanted to be known only as Mr Mainudin, told The New Paper: "Before the Mas Selamat incident, you would have to wait to get a table during dinner time.
"Now, it's so empty that you can even play football around the tables."
M'SIAN WORKERS SKIP THEIR DRINK
Jemaah Islamiah detainee Mas Selamat Kastari fled the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27.
Since his escape, the police have stepped up border checks at all exit points in Singapore.
Mr Mainudin, whose stall is called the Nagore Muslim Drinks Centre, claimed his daily earnings have dropped by half.
Between 6pm and 7pm on Wednesday, The New Paper on Sunday saw only three customers buying drinks from Mr Mainudin.
He said: "The Malaysian factory workers used to stop for a drink before heading home across the Causeway.
"With the jams, they don't waste time. They just skip the drink and quickly go back."
Another stall operator, Madam Fatimah Dollah, 69, said she can gauge just how much she is losing in business by how much food she has to throw away at the end of the day.
She explained: "At closing time, I find I have so much food left over that I can't bear to throw it away like I usually do. So now, I give some to the cleaners."
EVEN RESIDENTS HAVE GONE
Stallholders said the Woodlands area had gradually been losing its buzz over the last few years.
It started when the bus interchange was removed. Around the same time, the HDB area office and post office were also relocated.
Said Mr Chia Tok Whee, 35, who runs a seafood soup stall: "With these facilities gone, this area has stopped being a hub for residents.
"People no longer make it a point to come down here for official business. So there is no reason to stop to have a bite or a drink."
With the increased immigration checks, stallholders said all the major roads leading to the area – Woodlands Road, Admiralty Road, Marsiling Drive and the BKE – are gridlocked. They hope the authorities can help them.
Said Mr Oh Cheng Sim, 55, who operates an economy rice stall: "Short-term we can tahan (Malay for withstand), but long-term, habis! (Malay for finished)"
Mr Chia thinks one solution the authorities can consider is better traffic control of the roads leading to the area.
He said: "All the major roads here are interconnected. So if one jams up, they all jam up.
"How about having one dedicated road or route leading to the checkpoint, so that even if there is a jam, the other roads will remain free?"
Despite the inconvenience, some loyal customers continue to patronise the food stalls at Woodlands.
Mr Mahmud Sidek, 41, a technician, is one of the few.
"It's really up to your luck whether you get caught in a bad jam or not. But I've learnt to avoid peak hours and weekends," he said.
"Besides, I ride a motorbike, so I can still squeeze in between the cars. I can't imagine how bad it is for those in cars.
"I will continue to come here because I grew up in the neighbourhood and my friends all hang out here. And of course, the seafood is also a big draw!"
This article was first published in The New Paper on May 10, 2008.