LTA Introduces New Initiatives To Enhance Road Safety
1. Motorists and pedestrians alike will benefit from a series of new initiatives to enhance road safety, as outlined in the recently unveiled Land Transport Masterplan.
2. The four initiatives, namely the 'enhanced pedestrian crossing lines', 'pedestrian crossing ahead markings', 'traffic calming markings' and 'your speed sign', have been implemented at selected locations to test their effectiveness. This is part of LTA's continual efforts to make our roads safer for all users. If found to be effective, the pilot initiatives will be implemented at more sites. (Please refer to Annex A for details.)
Enhanced Pedestrian Crossing Lines (EPCL)
3. Dashed lines, instead of a continuous straight line, have been implemented at selected pedestrian crossings, to make the designated crossing more obvious. Motorists have been observed to overshoot the continuous white stop line and sometimes even encroach into the designated pedestrian crossing, thus endangering pedestrians. Currently, about 20% of vehicles have been observed to overshoot the stop line.
4. If the pilot is successful, LTA would consider implementing the initiative island-wide at all signalised pedestrian crossings. Driver behaviour will be surveyed during the pilot to monitor the effectiveness of the dashed lines. This initiative has also been implemented in cities such as Brisbane, Australia and London, United Kingdom, where it has shown good results.
Pedestrian Crossing Ahead Markings (PCAM)
5. Motorists have been observed not to give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings that are located after a bend, despite advance warnings provided by existing safety features such as signboards, zig-zag lines and flashing beacons with black/yellow poles on site.
6. The proposed Pedestrian Crossing Ahead Markings are one form of advanced road markings used to enhance the safety of pedestrians at zebra crossings. The markings are similar to 'Give Way' signs as they are triangular in shape and are marked in white for heightened visibility. They come in pairs, with the second marking serving as a reminder in case motorists miss the first PCAM.
7. If the pilot is successful, the markings would be implemented at locations where motorists have reduced visibility due to curves or bends in the road.
Traffic Calming Markings (TCM)
8. 'Traffic calming markings' consist of a series of paired white triangles which gives motorists the impression that the road is narrower. They serve as traffic calming markings to slow motorists down and complement existing traffic calming measures such as slow markings, humps and speed regulating strips.
9. The Cornwall County Council and Scotland in the UK use similar markings which are usually applied along rural roads before speed change gateways. Research by Transportation Research Laboratory (TRL) has proven that such markings are effective in reducing the mean speeds of vehicles by 8 to 11 kph.
10. LTA plans to extend the measure to locations where there are recurrent speeding problems, if the pilot is successful.
Your Speed Sign (YSS)
11. Your Speed Sign' is a dynamic electronic device that displays the real time speeds of vehicles and alerts motorists that they are speeding. It serves to encourage motorists to obey the speed limit displayed, thereby enhancing safety on the roads.
12. In the past five years, the UK, USA and Korea have been using YSS and many of their before-and-after studies have shown positive results that such signs are effective in reducing motorists' speeds.
Pilot Initiatives
13. The LTA will monitor the pilot initiatives for a period of six months to evaluate their effectiveness. Before-and-after studies as well as perception surveys with motorists and road users will be carried out as part of the evaluation process.
14. Dr Chin Kian Keong, Chief Engineer, Transportation, at LTA, said , "We hope that these new initiatives will make our roads even safer for users. However, even as we continue to improve the physical infrastructure, we want to encourage motorists to practise safe driving behaviour on our roads to ensure safety for all road users.
15. Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (DAC) Christopher Ng, Commander, Traffic Police (TP) said, "TP is pleased with the road engineering initiatives introduced and will continue to work together with LTA, through education, enforcement and engineering, to enhance the safety of road users."
16. Members of the public may obtain information on all four pilot initiatives on the ONE.MOTORING website. Residents who live within 400m of the pilot locations will receive leaflets informing them of these initiatives. This is to help these residents be familiar with the new road markings and signs.