SAFETY FEATURES AT BUS STOPS

SAFETY FEATURES AT BUS STOPS:

(Review): 15.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the

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Land Transport Authority will review the safety criteria, specifically the installation of safety bollards or other safety features at bus stops; and (b) whether the current schedule for the installation of safety bollards at 400 identified bus stops can be accelerated.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Mr Speaker, Sir, safety bollards are installed at bus stops based on the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) assessment of the risks associated with the location of the bus stops. They are currently provided at bus stops (a) located at bends, (b) facing turning traffic from side roads, or (c) along roads where the speed limit is at least 60 kph.

Based on these criteria, bollards have been installed at 1,500 bus stops since 1999. LTA will be installing bollards at another 400 bus stops along roads where the speed limits have been raised, in accordance with its existing criteria. The tender was called early this year and the contract has been awarded on 14th June 2007. The LTA will complete this project by early 2008.

The LTA regularly reviews its safety criteria to take into account changing circumstances and road conditions. However, ensuring safety is a shared responsibility. No measure will be sufficient to protect us from reckless and irresponsible road users. So we urge all road users to use our roads safely and responsibly.

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, firstly, how much is the cost of a bollard and, secondly, whether cost is a factor in not speeding up the schedule of completion of the installation.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Cost is not a factor in terms of whether we are speeding it up or not. As I have said, we have called a tender. The original estimate, before we called the tender, was in

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mid-2008. After the tender was called, working with the contractors, they had brought it forward. The contractors said they can do this. So it is now six months earlier. So cost is not a factor. The resources have already been allocated.

In terms of the actual cost itself, it will cost $860,000 for the extra bollards for the 400 additional bus stops where we are going to put the bollards in.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Sir, can I ask the Minister to consider completing this? He mentioned that the date for completion is early 2008. I would like to ask the Minister whether this can be speeded up, since resources are there.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: We will look into this. I think we need to have a sense of perspective on this. In the last five years, we have seven cases. We have over 4,000 bus stops in Singapore. We have seven cases where there has been an accident at the bus stop, just to give Members a sense of perspective. But in response to the Member's question whether we can try to do this faster, as I have said, we are doing as fast as we can. But we will look into his suggestion and see what more we can do.

Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines): Sir, besides the presence of the bollards at the bus stops, I want to ask the Minister whether the authority has made a comprehensive review of all the other places or roads where bollards may be necessary, other than bus-stops, to ensure greater pedestrian safety.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Sir, this is what we are doing. LTA is doing a review and this is something that we have to constantly look at, on a risk-based approach, of course, in the areas where there is greater risk, to see what more we can do to mitigate that risk and to protect our commuters.

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Mdm Ho Geok Choo (West Coast): Sir, I just want to ask the Minister what other approaches is the Ministry taking with regard to the educational, punitive and culture-building aspects of inculcating considerate driving and discipline among drivers as well as other road users.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: We work with many other agencies. For example, the Traffic Police is one agency that we work with. For instance, you see advertisements every now and then on our TV or in our cinemas, eg, "If you drink, don't drive", some very graphic, some very good, to drive home this particular message.

So, as I said, we work with many agencies, and it is an on-going process, and we need everybody to chip in, including everyone in this House.