CONSTRUCTION OF BARRIERS AT BUS STANDS

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Communications whether he will construct barriers or other devices at bus stands to protect commuters waiting for buses at such stands.

The Minister of State for Communications (Dr John Chen Seow Phun) (for the Minister for Communications): Sir, can I take Questions 22 and 23 together?

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Road safety at bus stops depends on both design and driver behaviour. Our bus stops are designed to international standards. Like pedestrian footpaths, bus stops are segregated from the road carriageway by raised kerbs. Where space permits, we provide a bus bay so that commuters waiting at the bus stop are even further away from the road.

A "yellow band" is drawn along the kerb at the bus stop as a visual guide to commuters to stay away from the kerb, much like that on MRT station platforms. This yellow band has already been painted at more than half of the 4,200 bus stops in Singapore. The rest should be completed in a few months.

At certain bus bays along very busy roads, markers have been erected on the kerb before the approach to the bay. These are designed to guide bus drivers to stay clear of the bus stop when they pull into the bay.

There are suggestions that barriers be set up at the bus stops. These have been previously tried out. Our experience is that these barriers impede passenger flow and result in commuters moving into the bus bay or road itself. Worse still, commuters may find themselves sandwiched between incoming buses and the barriers, especially when there is a rush. In such instances, barriers can become an obstacle and a danger. On balance, it is not advisable to install barriers at bus stops.

We will continuously look out for new ideas to enhance the safety of our bus stops but, ultimately, it is the behaviour of drivers and road users that determines safety along the roads and the bus stops. All drivers bear a great responsibility in ensuring safety when they drive. They should pay careful attention in the way they handle their vehicles and keep a proper look out for pedestrians. To further emphasise and clamp down on those drivers with careless and dangerous driver behaviour, the Traffic Police has introduced regulations to suspend extreme speedsters and penalise those using handphones without hands-free car kits. The success of these moves would enhance road safety for all pedestrians.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, is it not possible for the Government to find a way to build barriers in which they will not impede the flow of passengers?

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, if you build the barrier in front of the bus stop, what happens is that, especially when there is a crowd, the passengers will tend to flow on to the road. So that itself will create a danger and it will also impede the flow because they will not be able to get to the bus fast enough and that would not be acceptable.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (Jalan Besar): Sir, two supplementary questions. As mentioned by the Minister, where space permits, bus bays will be incorporated. But the recent accident at Bendemeer Road, which is a major trunk road, the bus stop does not have a bus bay. Is there any guideline on where we would have bus bays? Given the fact that Bendemeer Road is a major trunk road, I think a bus bay would be very useful.

The second question is that in previous years, to the best of my recollection, because of accidents by buses, bollards have been raised at certain bus stops, some of which are along Clementi Road in front of the university. Would that measure be effective and implemented island-wide?

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, as I said, bus bays depend on whether we have enough space. So that is the criterion. If we have, we will do it, especially along busy roads. As for bollards, they are also barriers in a certain sense and, therefore, they create a danger. We have to be mindful that we do not introduce something which will create other dangers because if commuters were to stand in front of the bollards or sitting on the bollards, when the buses come and if they are too close, there will also be a danger. So we are mindful that we should not create other dangers just because we want to have these barriers.

Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State regarding the international standards of the bus stops. May I ask him to enlighten the House which one of the standards he has chosen and what are the key safety features which have been adopted? Also, would the Ministry take action against any organisation which builds makeshift bus stops for whatever purpose?

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, we have looked at many countries - UK, Australia, US - and we have not found any country which has barriers in front of the bus stops. In fact, if you look at the features of our bus stops, I would say that the features that I mentioned earlier are more than those implemented by other countries. So rest assured that we have not been found wanting in implementing all these safety measures. We have looked far and wide for all the possible ideas.

Dr Toh See Kiat (Aljunied): Mr Speaker, Sir, it would appear that the bus stop accidents occurred around bends and where there is merging traffic. In the light of these circumstances, would the Minister of State perhaps review and resite the bus stops that are located in these dangerous areas and even consider barriers just for these places?

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, the LTA will survey all bus stops and areas where there is a bend, and so on. Of course, we will put up additional signs and measures on the road to prevent speeding. But let me point out that the root cause of all these safety problems is really the driving habit of motorists. Therefore, I would urge the House to really help the Government to send a strong message to Singaporeans that such behaviour would kill lives. The motorists are given a machine which can take away lives and, therefore, it is more important for us to tell the motorists that such reckless behaviour would not be tolerated.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, on the issue of bollards, to the best of my recollection, they are not placed in front of the bus stop but away from the bus stop, because there is a bus bay. So are there any studies done to show that this measure has been effective and, if so, are we planning to implement it island-wide?

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, as explained in my answer, those bollards or markers are not designed to withstand the impact and the purpose of those markers or bollards is actually to guide the drivers as they approach the bus bay so that they will not get too close to the kerb and pose a danger to the commuters. From our study, it has been very useful for bus drivers to know how far to keep away from the kerb and, in fact, there are over 100 bus stops in Singapore with such bollards.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang (Jalan Besar): Sir, I just want to know whether the Ministry has any immediate plans to improve the safety of the bus stops at Bendemeer Road.

Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, as far as I know, there is no immediate plan. But we will look into whether we can improve the safety of the stretch of the road and see what we can do. Those measures that I have mentioned are ongoing and they will be implemented.