THE road closures caused by preparations for the Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix led to massive traffic jams in the Central Business District yesterday morning.
As race organisers shut down the roads around Marina Square and the Padang to facilitate preparations for Sunday's
race, people who work in the area saw traffic slow to a crawl during the morning peak hours.
Auditor Ang Hui Shan, 24, was heading to work at Shaw Tower on a public bus when she got stuck on Nicoll Highway.
The 15-minute ride took far longer than usual, so after being stuck for half an hour, she got off the bus and walked instead, together with about 20 other passengers.
"The traffic congestion was very bad, although I did see a few traffic policemen trying to control the situation," she said.
"For the next few days, I'm going to take the bus to Bugis and walk from there."
However, not everyone is unhappy. Car enthusiast Ben Ye, 39, was also one of the many affected by the slow traffic.
He said: "I expected the traffic jam to happen, so it's no big deal.We should support the Singapore Grand Prix because it's not an event you get to see every day."
The road closures will be implemented in phases to minimise disruption to the public.
Visitors to the Marina Centre area are strongly advised to use public transport. Traffic delays are also to be expected.
