Road Traffic (Collection of Reciprocal Road Charge at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints) Rules 2017

No. S 48

Road Traffic Act

(CHAPTER 276)

Road Traffic (Collection of Reciprocal
Road Charge at Woodlands and
Tuas Checkpoints) Rules 2017

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 34(1) of the Road Traffic Act, the Minister for Transport makes the following Rules:

Citation and commencement

1. These Rules are the Road Traffic (Collection of Reciprocal Road Charge at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints) Rules 2017 and come into operation on 15 February 2017.

Definitions

2.—(1) In these Rules —

“ASEAN goods vehicle” has the same meaning as in rule 2(1) of the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules (R 7);

“ASEAN public service vehicle” has the same meaning as in rule 2(1) of the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules;

“authorised officer” means an officer authorised by the Registrar to administer and enforce these Rules;

“card machine” means a machine designated by the Registrar for recording information in an electronic form on a vehicle entry card and for deducting any toll, vehicle entry fee, reciprocal road charge or road‑user charge from a vehicle entry card or other stored value card;

“checkpoint” means the Immigration Checkpoint at Woodlands or the Immigration Checkpoint at Tuas, as the case may be;

“Johore Bahru — Woodlands Causeway” means that part of the causeway linking Johore Bahru to Woodlands that is within the territory of Singapore;

“relevant vehicle” means any motor car, other than an ASEAN goods vehicle or ASEAN public service vehicle, that is not registered under the Act;

“road‑user charge” means any charge payable under rule 11 of the Road Traffic (Electronic Road Pricing System) Rules 2015 (G.N. No. S 226/2015);

“Second Crossing” means that part of the causeway linking Gelang Patah to Tuas that is within the territory of Singapore;

“stored value”, in relation to a vehicle entry card or stored value card, means the amount of money standing to the credit of the card;

“stored value card” means a stored value card which, when used with a card machine in a way authorised by the Registrar, results in the appropriate amount of reciprocal road charge payable for a relevant vehicle under these Rules being deducted from the stored value of the card;

“vehicle entry card” means a vehicle entry card issued under rule 19(3) or 22C(2) of the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules;

“vehicle entry fee” means the fee payable for a vehicle entry permit granted under Part IV of the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules;

“vehicle entry permit” means the permit granted under Part IV of the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules.

(2) In these Rules, a reference to a vehicle entry card in relation to a relevant vehicle is a reference to a vehicle entry card on which the registration number of the relevant vehicle has been electronically recorded.

Reciprocal road charge for relevant vehicle entering Singapore

3.—(1) A reciprocal road charge of $6.40 is payable in relation to a relevant vehicle on every occasion that the vehicle is driven into Singapore by a driver using any checkpoint.

(2) The reciprocal road charge is to be paid at the Immigration Checkpoint at Woodlands or the Immigration Checkpoint at Tuas, before the driver of the relevant vehicle leaves Singapore using the Johore Bahru — Woodlands Causeway or the Second Crossing, respectively.

(3) Despite paragraph (1), an authorised officer may allow the driver of a relevant vehicle to use any checkpoint to leave Singapore, without payment of any reciprocal road charge —

(a)	as directed, generally or specially, by the Minister; or
(b)	where the authorised officer considers it expedient to do so because of extreme weather conditions or other emergency.

Payment of reciprocal road charge

4.—(1) The driver of a relevant vehicle leaving Singapore (whether or not the same driver who entered Singapore in the relevant vehicle) using any checkpoint must, at the checkpoint, insert the vehicle entry card in relation to that vehicle into a card machine so that the reciprocal road charge for that vehicle may be deducted from the stored value of the card.

(2) Upon completing the transaction mentioned in paragraph (1), the driver of the relevant vehicle may obtain a receipt setting out particulars of the transaction from a designated terminal of the Authority at the checkpoint.

(3) Where the vehicle entry card or card machine is defective, the reciprocal road charge must be paid in such manner as the Registrar considers appropriate.

(4) The Registrar may, in the Registrar’s discretion and in such circumstances as the Registrar considers appropriate, permit the reciprocal road charge for a relevant vehicle to be paid in any other manner.

(5) The Registrar or an authorised officer may prohibit the entry into or exit from Singapore of any relevant vehicle if the reciprocal road charge for that vehicle is in arrears.

Failure to pay reciprocal road charge

5.—(1) Any person who fails to pay the reciprocal road charge in accordance with rule 3 or 4 shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months.

(2) A person is deemed to have failed to pay the reciprocal road charge in accordance with rule 4 if in purported compliance with rule 4(1), the person inserts into a card machine at a checkpoint a vehicle entry card the stored value of which is less than the amount of the reciprocal road charge payable by the person.

(3) Where the Registrar or an authorised officer has reason to believe that a person has committed an offence under paragraph (1) —

(a)	the Registrar or authorised officer may, by notice or otherwise, require the person to pay, in such manner as the Registrar may require, the reciprocal road charge payable by the person and an administrative charge of $10; and
(b)	if the person complies with the requirement under sub‑paragraph (a), the person shall not be guilty of the offence.

Other offences

6.—(1) Any person who —

(a)	with intent to deceive, enters incorrect information into the card machine;
(b)	in purported compliance with rule 4(1), inserts any vehicle entry card into a card machine other than the vehicle entry card in relation to the relevant vehicle the person is driving; or
(c)	in purported compliance with rule 4(1), inserts into a card machine a vehicle entry card, which is a forgery or has been tampered with,

shall be guilty of an offence.

(2) In any proceedings for an offence under paragraph (1), it is a defence for the defendant to prove —

(a)	in the case of an offence under paragraph (1)(b), that the defendant did not know nor have reason to believe that the vehicle entry card was not a vehicle entry card in relation to the relevant vehicle the defendant was driving; or
(b)	in the case of an offence under paragraph (1)(c), that the defendant did not know nor have reason to believe that the vehicle entry card was a forgery or had been tampered with.

Made on 14 February 2017.

PANG KIN KEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Transport,
Singapore.

[MOT.LT.443.5.0052.0.1; AG/LEGIS/SL/276/2015/40 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 141(1) of the Road Traffic Act).

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