Priority queues at new bus interchanges in Singapore

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be rolling out priority queues at all new bus interchanges and integrated transport hubs, reported The Straits Times.  This will allow the elderly, pregnant women and those with disabilities to wait in designated areas near the boarding berths, known as priority queue zones.

The Joo Koon hub, which starts operating on Saturday, will be the first integrated transport hub to get the zones. It will have three priority queue zones with seats and tactile paving to help the visually-impaired. Signs have also been put up to encourage commuters to give way to those waiting in the priority zone when boarding the bus.

The LTA said the priority queue is part of a series of senior-friendly initiatives that ensure that seniors and those with mobility needs can enjoy safe and pleasant journeys. There are also plans to improve way-finding signs at public transport nodes - through simplifying information on them and exploring the use of more pictograms or icons. It is also evaluating feedback from a public consultation in August with a group of seniors, and has plans to start carrying out improvements by the fourth quarter of next year .

Meanwhile, more elderly people will benefit from the Green Man Plus scheme which was launched in 2009. The LTA said it has awarded a contract worth $6.9 million to expand the scheme to another 500 crossings islandwide, doubling the more than 500 existing ones. Work will start this month and the project will be completed in 2018.