A FEW inconsiderate drivers seem to be bringing back traffic jams along one of Orchard Road's most popular stretches.

From 9pm and 10pm, a line of cars usually pull up alongside Ngee Ann City and park illegally along Orchard Link, which is marked with a single yellow zig-zag line. When these cars drive off, others take their place.

Single yellow zig-zag line means no parking or waiting, but dropping off and picking up passengers are allowed.

These cars often cause a bottleneck for the ones leaving the shopping mall and for those heading towards the CTE tunnel from Orchard Link.

Why do drivers wait there, sometimes for even more than half an hour?

A check by The New Paper last Monday revealed that most of them were waiting topick up passengers who were either working or shopping in Ngee Ann City, risking a maximum fine of $150 and three demerit points.

They could easily be picking up their passengers from the driveway of the mall or waiting at the mall's multi-storey carpark.

DOUBLE-PARKED

When the leftmost lane was full, some cars were seen double-parked along the second lane, blocking vehicles coming from Orchard Turn, the road leading to the carparks of Ngee Ann City and Wisma Atria.

So the oncoming cars are forced to filter out to the third lane of the three-lane road, occasionally causing near-accidents.

But the errant motorists don't seem to be too concerned.

One driver was even seen propping his leg on the dashboard as he waited for his passenger on Monday night.

Another driver, who declined to be named, said he was waiting for his fiancee who works in Ngee Ann City. He said he picks her up four times a week.

Asked if he knew it was illegal to park there, he said: "I just observe. If I spot the traffic police, I'll drive off."He claimed he would wait there for only 15 minutes. But The New Paper observed that he had parked his pick-up from 9.15pm to 9.45pm, and moved off only at9.50pm when his passenger came out of the building.

Another driver's excuse was that he couldn't find a parking lot due to the Great Singapore Sale. Contributing to the jam were cabbies who stopped to pick up passengers there instead of joining the queue at the mall.

We saw a TransCab driver stopping his taxi along Orchard Link. Even when a driver behind him honked, he refused to budge.

The driver whose car was obstructed, Dr Syed Fadzleigh, 27, a dentist, said illegal parking along Orchard Link was a daily affair.

"The LTA should consider changing it to a double zig-zag line," he said.A double zig-zag line means vehicles cannot stop there at any time.The problem, Dr Syed said, was that vehicles turning out from Orchard Turn into Orchard Link have very little time to filter right as the vehicles parked along the single yellow zig-zag line get in their way.

He feels that more should be done to prevent congestion caused by the illegally-parked cars.

The traffic police said they are aware of the problem and have been taking action against errant motorists. But the Land Transport Authority said it was not necessary at this point to introduce double zig-zag lines.

When contacted, the management of Ngee Ann City said they are looking into the matter.

They said cars are allowed to pick up passengers at the driveway along Orchard Turn, but are not allowed to park or wait there.

The traffic police have urged motorists to use the parking lots in the vicinity.

LTA: Double zig-zag line unnecessary

IN the past, Orchard Link has been a bottleneck for cars driving towards the CTE.

To improve traffic flow along the road as well as at the junction of Orchard Link and Orchard Turn, the LTA had previously redesigned the traffic in the vicinity by making the traffic two-way along the stretch of Grange Road,between Somerset Road and Orchard Road.

In 2005, Orchard Link was converted into a one-way street in the direction of Orchard Road.The signalised traffic junction at Orchard Link and Orchard Turn was also replaced with a slip road turning left.LTA spokesman Naleeza Ebrahim said the single yellow zig-zag lines along Orchard Link was introduced a few years ago after LTA consulted the Traffic Police and other relevant agencies.

Ms Naleeza said: "As there is more than one lane leading to Bideford Road,motorists are able to stop for immediate pick-up and drop-off without affecting the main traffic flow. Hence, it was not necessary to ban motorists from stopping along this road with double yellow zig-zag lines.

"With changes in traffic volumes and motorists' behaviour along this road, we will continue to work with relevant agencies to explore if there's a need to change the existing traffic scheme."