Pedestrians still dash across busy Yuan Ching Road even after fatal accident in January, new railings installed

SINGAPORE — Pedestrians are still dashing across a busy road in Taman Jurong to get to a bus stop, despite railings the Land Transport Authority (LTA) installed to guide them to crossings nearby.

The waist-high railings along Yuan Ching Road are meant to encourage pedestrians to walk towards two traffic light crossings along the dual carriageway.

One crossing is located outside Jurong Secondary School. The other crossing is at the junction of Yung Ho Road.

The crossings are about 200m from the junction of Hu Ching Road, where an accident in January claimed the life of a 12-year-old student from Yuvabharathi International School.

The 30m-long railings were installed in July, but checks by The Straits Times showed that some pedestrians were still jaywalking across Yuan Ching Road.

Several residents of the nearby Lake Vista estate said it was the shortest route to the bus stop located opposite the junction.

Sabrina Sim said: "There are two schools nearby, and what we need is a traffic light crossing at the junction to make it safer for students and the elderly to cross, especially during peak hours."

But Lee Kok Mun said adding another traffic light may cause a congestion as the current traffic light junctions are about 450m from each other.

The 64-year-old suggested speed bumps instead, saying it will slow down traffic enough for pedestrians to cross safely. However, LTA had deemed humps unnecessary.

In a February 2023 e-mail to a resident, the authority said its engineers noted that there are road signs for motorists to slow down along Yuan Ching Road.

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"The adjacent junction and pedestrian crossing also assist in regulating the speed of vehicles. Hence, humps are deemed unnecessary," LTA added.

Mohan, a resident of Lake Vista, said the installation of the railings was a "start in the right direction".

"I saw the aftermath of the fatal collision and no parent would want that to happen to their child. Having railings is better than nothing because it will discourage jaywalking," added the 37-year-old.

In a reply to queries from ST, LTA said it had in 2023 extended the centre divider along Yuan Ching Road and the Hu Ching Road kerbs to regulate traffic.

"This narrows the junction at Yuan Ching Road and Hu Ching Road to facilitate pedestrians’ crossing and slows down motorists when they turn into Hu Ching Road," said the spokesman.

In July 2024, the authority installed barrier-free ramps and railings "to facilitate and guide pedestrians crossing Hu Ching Road to use the ramps to further enhance pedestrian safety".

A spokesman for Yuvabharathi International School said the school appreciated the new measures introduced by LTA and added that it continues to emphasise the importance of road safety among its students.

In a mid-year traffic situation report released in August, the police said elderly pedestrians and motorcyclists had accounted for a disproportionate number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries or death.

There were six elderly pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2024 — making up nearly 43 per cent of all pedestrian fatalities. Roughly 41 per cent of elderly pedestrian accidents were caused by jaywalking.

Aman Aljunied, a former Singapore Safety Driving Centre instructor, said road safety awareness should be shaped from a young age.

"The Japanese, who live in crowded communities, learn about road safety at a young age," added Aman, who was trained at a driving school in Japan.

"Even when there are no vehicles around, they will obey traffic light signals or consciously check the roads by looking and pointing their fingers in the direction of the roads before crossing it.

"As Singaporeans, we can unlearn bad habits."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.