1,500 Green Man+ readers to be installed island-wide by 2027

More pedestrian crossings island-wide will receive Green Man+ (GM+) card readers, which give seniors and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) more time to cross the road. The traffic light scheme will be extended to half of the pedestrian crossings in all residential estates by 2027. 

In a Facebook post on 31 October 2023, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) revealed plans to progressively roll out 1,500 more pedestrian crossings with the GM+. LTA expects the expansion efforts to be completed by the last quarter of 2027. The initiative will bring the total number of GM+ readers in Singapore to over 2,500. 

This Green Man+ card reader, which can be activated with the tap of a senior citizen or PwD concession card, can extend the amount of time for crossing the road by between three and 13 seconds

To activate the GM+ card reader, elderly pedestrians and PWDs need only to tap their Senior Citizen Concession Card or PwD Concession Card on the reader. These card readers can be easily identified by the LTA logo and simple guiding images for pedestrians. The readers are typically installed on pedestrian light poles just above the button that activates the green man.

The GM+ allows seniors and those with disabilities between three and 13 seconds more to cross the road, depending on the width of the crossing. PwDs can also activate audible traffic signals at some crossings between 9:00pm and 7:00am on using the GM+. In April this year, LTA had announced the installation of 24/7 on-demand audible traffic signals across 10 town centres at 325 pedestrian crossings by 2025. This is part of efforts under the Enabling Masterplan 2030 to create a more inclusive Singapore.

Some of the locations slated to get more GM+ card readers include Jalan Sultan and Victoria Street, the intersection of Alexandra Road, Jalan Bukit Merah and Queensway, and around Pasir Ris Central. These are the areas with a high elderly population and crossings that lead to amenities frequented by the elderly and PwDs, said LTA. 

Today, more than 1,000 pedestrian crossings across Singapore are equipped with Green Man+ card readers

To be conducted in six stages, the Green Man+ scheme may be further expanded as Singapore’s population ages, to cover an additional 500 crossings. The scheme was introduced in 2009 and has grown to include more than 1,000 pedestrian crossings equipped with GM+ card readers.