Elderly pedestrians to get more road safety zones

More road safety zones for elderly pedestrians will be introduced in residential areas by early 2017, with reduced speed limits and senior-friendly crossings, reported The Straits Times.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday that it has identified 10 more locations for its Silver Zone programme, bringing the total to 15. The new locations will be in estates including Clementi, Commonwealth, Hougang, Telok Blangah and Toa Payoh.

All are areas with high elderly populations, higher accident rates involving seniors and amenities for the elderly.

In Silver Zones, speed limits are reduced to 40km/h and motorists are informed through road markings, signs and 'rumble' strips, which alert drivers when their wheels go over them. Two-stage crossings are also built, so pedestrians need to check the traffic from only one direction, and have a safety refuge in the middle of the road. There are 'pinch points' at these crossings, with narrower roads to get cars to slow down.

To date, two Silver Zones have been completed, in Bukit Merah View and Jurong West Street 52. Five more will be completed by the end of the year, in Bedok, Lengkok Bahru, Tampines, Woodlands and Yishun. The remaining eight will be progressively completed by the first quarter of 2017. The LTA said it will have a total of 35 Silver Zones by 2020.