Debated in Parliament on 7 Feb 2013.
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Transport if the Ministry will develop and implement elderly-proof road safety master plans for estates with a higher number of elderly residents, for example, in the North Bridge Road, Crawford, Waterloo and Rochor areas.
Mdm Speaker, road and pedestrian safety for everyone, and not just the elderly, has always been one of our topmost concerns.
Where site situations permit, for example in housing estates, LTA will install traffic-calming measures, such as humps and speed-regulating strips, to ensure that motorists reduce their speeds. To facilitate safer crossings along certain roads, LTA constructs centre dividers to provide a central refuge for pedestrians.
Specifically for the elderly, we recently announced new plans to retrofit more pedestrian overhead bridges with lifts. For traffic light crossings, the Green Man Plus scheme has been expanded to allow the elderly to activate longer crossing times. LTA also collaborates with other agencies like the Singapore Road Safety Council to educate the elderly on crossing roads safely.
Notwithstanding these measures, we would be happy to consider the idea of estate-specific elderly-proof road safety master plans, and I welcome the Member to work with the Ministry and LTA to take this idea further.
Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the response. I am heartened to hear that LTA is open to this. I just want to register that LTA has been very responsive in my area whenever we make requests. As you know, there are some areas in Singapore which have predominantly elderly people, such as where I serve, Kampong Glam; or where Dr Lily Neo serves, Kreta Ayer; and even Mr Sam Tan's Redhill area. I hope that some priority will be given to these areas so that the old people would not have to wait until it is too late to enjoy some of these elderly-proof facilities.
Madam, again, I would like to thank the Member for the supplementary questions. We share her concerns. That is the reason why I mentioned that we give road safety our top priority, not only for the elderly but also for all road users. We will be very happy to work
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with the Member, looking at specific locations in her area, as well as in other areas, to see how we can enhance the road safety aspect. After all, these are our fellow human beings. We want to ensure they are always safe on the road.
PAPERCUTS