People tend to jump to conclusions. When they heard that I navigated to Woodland checkpoint by mistake, it was Apple Maps’ fault. Because I suppose the vast majority are using Google Maps.
But it was totally my fault.
I needed to pick someone up at Woodlands Train station. I picked the checkpoint instead. What I should have done was to pick the taxi stand as my destination.
To U-turn at Woodlands checkpoint by car took around 20 mins. The actual U-turn would have taken a minute. But this was not an ordinary situation.
At the checkpoint booth, I sincerely apologized to the officer for making a mistake. I did not intend to visit Malaysia, though the traffic was super smooth. It would have been a great opportunity to visit JB, grab some food, top up my gas tank, and buy some groceries at a more affordable price.
The officer comforted me. She said it happened. She called for another officer while I was stuck behind the barrier. They had to direct traffic queuing behind me. Because it was going to take a while.
She asked if I had my physical IC with me. I said no. But I have SingPass. She said she needed something physical to hold onto. Because someone was going to escort me back to Singapore (technically speaking, I was still in Singapore).
Driving license, I asked. She said yes. I carry a physical driving license with me all the time because I visit Malaysia often.
A male officer approached me after 10 minutes of waiting. He took down my particulars, filled up a form online on his phone, took photos of my car, and he asked me to wait for the escort.
When the escorts came, there were two officers. I was asked to put on my hazard lights. One officer stood in front of my car. Another one stood behind. I was escorted out of the checkpoint by the officers on foot. As I crossed multiple lanes of traffic, I was led into an officer car park guarded by a huge iron gate. The officer said, go through the car park and approach the auto-gate at the end.
After 20 minutes, I was back in Singapore. Phew. What an experience!