Prevention of Spillage on Roads by Trucks that Carry Sand

2 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) how does the Ministry ensure that lorries that carry sand do cover them up to prevent spillage on the roads while moving; and (b) for lorries that are found not to have done so, what are the penalties that are imposed on them.

The Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): Sand or other materials spilt from improperly covered lorries on public roads can endanger the safety of motorists and dirty our environment.

NEA engages sand suppliers and commercial transport companies to remind their drivers to be vigilant in keeping sand covered during transport. Commercial transport companies are also reminded to inspect their lorry fleets regularly for faulty cargo flap covers.

From 2016 to 2018, NEA took more than 450 enforcement actions against drivers for transporting sand and other materials without proper cover. Under the Environmental Public Heath (Public Cleansing) Regulations, persons conveying sand or other similar materials along a public road by vehicle without adequate cover face fines of up to $1,000 upon conviction for a first offence. Additionally, under the Environmental Public Health Act, persons who drop or spill the same on a public road would also be liable for fines of up to $2,000 upon conviction for a first offence.

Members of the public who witness sand spillage on public roads should report the incident to NEA.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. On the roads, I very often see vehicles carrying sand – both wet and dry – overloaded with these items: sand, gravel, stones. They may even be partially exposed. These pose a real danger to other vehicle users and even, people. Can NEA consider working with MOT to deploy road surveillance technology to monitor such vehicles and take enforcement action where necessary?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: I thank the Member for the supplementary question. NEA employs portable surveillance cameras to detect vehicles that spill sand or other materials on the public roads. They deploy such devices at hotspots to spot and identify errant vehicles and their drivers for further investigation and enforcement. And in addition, NEA does stake-outs along public roads to spot and act against such errant vehicles and drivers.

LTA, on the other hand, conducts routine patrols and operations to enforce against overloaded vehicles. Offenders who are caught with their trucks or lorries exceeding the maximum laden weight limit can be fined up to $1,000 upon conviction, jail for up to three months or both.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): In my constituency, there are thousands of such heavy laden vehicles plying the road. Unfortunately, the feedback I have is that they are either uncovered or they are spilling debris all over the road. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether can enforcement be stepped up. Because 450 summons do not seem like a lot. Every day that I drive on the road, I see a lot of such vehicles that are in breach.

The other thing is whether MEWR or NEA consider from the origin of the journey, make it mandatory for the contractor that loads the sand to carry out an inspection before the vehicle can even go out. That means, the contractor checks and ensures that the vehicle is properly covered and everything is secured, before the vehicle even goes out. And if any vehicle is caught in breach, we not only go after the driver, but we also go after the contractor that allowed the vehicle to get out of the worksite in the first place.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: I thank the Member for the supplementary questions, as well as for his suggestions. First, as I have said earlier, any member of the public who actually observes such spillage on the road can report it to NEA. As I had also noted, NEA does stake-outs as well as deploy portable cameras for surveillance of such acts. Very often, our portable cameras are installed at hotspots where we have received quite a number of feedback cases and tip-offs about such spillage – for instance, near large construction sites, or concrete batching plants where these vehicles often ply – in order to enforce against such vehicles and the drivers.

I just wish to make a note that between 2016 and 2018, we received more than 300 instances of feedback on spillage on the roads from such trucks and lorries, and these numbers have been declining. So, the Member could follow up with NEA on the area that he is talking about.

As regards the responsibility, as I have also said, upstream, we work with the commercial transport operators as well as the sand suppliers, and remind them to inspect their lorry fleets frequently while making sure that their flap covers are operational. The drivers are responsible for ensuring that the flap covers properly cover the building materials before they drive off the site. That is why our Act makes them responsible, but we work with the vehicle owners to identify who the particular drivers are.

As I have said, we will continue to see how we can engage with the commercial transport operators, as well as the sand and building material suppliers upstream.

11.09 am

Mr Speaker: End of Question Time. The Clerk will now proceed to read the orders of the day.