Measures to Ensure Safety in Areas with High Number of Elderly Accidents

Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Transport (a) what measures is the Ministry implementing in areas with a high number of elderly accidents; and (b) whether the Ministry will install the necessary preventive features to ensure our elderly remain safe.

The Land Transport Authority implements Silver Zones at areas where there have been senior pedestrian accidents and at areas with a high proportion of senior residents and senior amenities, such as medical establishments. Silver Zones improve road safety for seniors by slowing down traffic and alerting motorists to keep a lookout for pedestrians. Features include a reduced speed limit of 40 kilometres per hour, speed bumps, ramps and barrier-free crossings, enhanced street lighting and longer green man timing. Silver Zones also have centre dividers to narrow lanes and reduce traffic speeds. The results from the existing 15 Silver Zones around the island have been very encouraging, with a 75% drop in the accidents involving the elderly.

We target to complete another six Silver Zones by the end of this year and will aim to have a total of 50 Silver Zones by 2023. As and when the need arises, we are also prepared to provide more Silver Zones.