IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY FOR ELDERLY PEDESTRIANS

IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY FOR ELDERLY PEDESTRIANS: 17.

Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the measures in place to (i) promote the safety of elderly pedestrians, especially at traffic crossings; (ii) encourage the able-bodied public to assist the vulnerable frail elderly crossing alone; and (b) what can be done to ensure that speeding cyclists stop and look out at pedestrian crossings so as not to endanger the elderly.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Mr Teo Ser Luck) (for the Minister for Transport): We recognise that the elderly form a vulnerable group of road users, and the Government has placed emphasis on both public education and infrastructure improvements to promote the safety of elderly pedestrians on our roads. LTA and the Traffic Police have been working together on this.

The Traffic Police has tailored their education and engagement efforts to better inculcate road safety awareness amongst the elderly. For instance, the annual Shell Traffic Games was revised

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last year to include senior citizen participants. The Traffic Police and the People's Association, with their Citizens on Patrol and Community Emergency Response Teams, have also organised many smaller-scale activities to disseminate road safety messages to elderly residents during patrols and community events. Radio commercials carrying road safety messages in the various Chinese dialects have also been broadcast to reach out to the elderly.

In addition, LTA has also improved the design of pedestrian crossing facilities over the years to enhance pedestrian safety. Since 2009, LTA has piloted the Green Man Plus scheme that allows senior citizens to extend their crossing times at selected pedestrian crossings through the use of their senior citizen Contactless e-Purse Application (CEPAS) concession cards. This has been well-received and LTA is exploring the expansion of the scheme to other parts of the island. Other infrastructural improvements that have been introduced at various selected locations include raised zebra crossings, dotted pedestrian crossing lines that help motorists distinguish pedestrian crossing zones from vehicular stop lines, and green man countdown timers that allow pedestrians to know the time remaining for them to cross the roads. These improvements enhance the safety for all pedestrians, including the elderly.

As for cyclists, they are required to adhere to the road traffic regulations when travelling along the roads. Accidents can be prevented if good road use etiquette is practised.

The Traffic Police has been working with the Singapore Sports Council to display road safety banners along routes used regularly by cyclists. They are also collaborating with the Safe Cycling Task Force to conduct safe cycling clinics at various community clubs and grassroots

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events. And these clinics cover a pre-riding checklist and impart safe cycling tips.

The Traffic Police also reaches out to the various dormitories and organisations that employ a large number of foreign workers to promote road safety awareness amongst the foreign workers. A road safety video on safe cycling habits has been produced and screened at the premises of the Ministry of Manpower, the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority and the major dormitories to reinforce this message.

The LTA and Traffic Police will continue their efforts to improve transport facilities, public education and enforcement efforts. We encourage the public to use our roads responsibly, with due consideration for our elderly and less mobile road users.

Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong (Nominated Member): Thank you to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. Older people find it very hard to climb the overhead bridges. Is there any way to make them more accessible or any breakthrough solution to this problem?

Mr Teo Ser Luck: I do not think I will call it "breakthrough" but I believe Members have raised the possibility of having lifts on overhead bridges, especially for the elderly. And I believe the Member, Er Lee Bee Wah, has raised this a couple of times. We are already exploring the possibility of retrofitting selected overhead bridges in the immediate vicinity of MRT stations with lifts. We will share more of our feasibility studies soon and the next steps that we will take.