SINGAPORE - Traffic lights at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 stopped working on Sunday (Nov 20) during a heavy downpour, causing a traffic jam.

Pictures of the incident taken by Ms Dilah Ali showed a chaotic scene as cars and buses headed in different directions made their way slowly across the junction.

Ms Ali, 31, was on her way from Punggol to Toa Payoh on bus service 88. When she experienced the slowdown in traffic at about 12.30pm, she thought at first that it was was due to the heavy rain.

"However, I saw a minor accident at the junction involving four cars. Then I realised that the traffic lights on all sides were not working," she said.

The bus was caught in the jam for about 15 minutes, according to Ms Dilah.

"The cars were coming in all directions and none gave way, they just tailgated each other. I felt a bit angry that the cars did not give way to the bus, and I heard many passengers from the lower deck urge the bus drive to 'just go!'" the receptionist said.

She also added that she only saw a traffic police officer arriving just as the bus emerged from the jam.

"The cars should have given the buses the right of way, but people were 'kiasu'. Surprisingly, I did not hear any honking," Ms Dilah said.

The Straits Times understands that a 'technical issue' had occurred with the traffic lights at the junction, and that the lights were fixed by around 1.15pm.