"GREEN MAN" SIGNALS AT ROAD JUNCTIONS (Installation)

The following Question stood on the Order Paper -

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether his Ministry has plans to install "green man" signals at all road junctions.

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng being on leave of absence -

Dr Koh Lip Lin (Nee Soon): Sir, Question No. 4.

The Acting Minister for Home Affairs (Mr S. Dhanabalan): Mr Speaker, Sir, all traffic lights installed since 1977 include "green man" signals. The Public Works Department in consultation with the Traffic Police is installing "green man" signals at traffic lights installed earlier. Priority will be given to junctions where pedestrian flow conflicts seriously with vehicular flow. Todate 198 or 71% of the road junctions which have traffic lights also have "green man" signals.

At junctions which do not have "green man" signals, pedestrians should only cross the road when traffic is flowing parallel to the road crossing which they wish to use.

Since there is still confusion over the right of way between a pedestrian and a motorist at road junctions which do not have "green man" signals, I wish to clarify that under the Pedestrian Crossing Rules 1977 the pedestrian has precedence over all vehicular traffic at pedestrian crossings. A motorist who is in the process of turning his vehicle at a road junction must stop to give way to any pedestrian who is crossing or starting to cross the path of the motorist.