ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL COUNTDOWN TIMERS

With the installation of red-amber-green signal for turns, the cycle length of traffic signals have increased significantly. With a view to address driver stress that may build up from the increased cycle lengths, I asked the Minister for Transport if LTA would conduct a survey to assess the merits of incorporating countdown traffic signals at traffic lights. In Minister’s response, he stated that LTA found that installing such timers do not lead to significant improvement in road safety. My PQ and his answer may be accessed below.

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Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Transport whether LTA will conduct a survey to assess the merits of incorporating countdown traffic signals at traffic lights for the benefit of drivers.

Mr S Iswaran: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has assessed that traffic signal countdown timers do not necessarily improve road safety. LTA has studied the experiences of other countries and found that installing traffic signal countdown timers did not lead to any significant improvement in road safety. In fact, some jurisdictions that implemented traffic signal countdown timers eventually phased them out. This could be due to motorists speeding up to try to beat the red light, and such findings were corroborated during a six-month trial conducted by the LTA at the junction of North Bridge Road and Rochor Road. Nevertheless, LTA will continue to monitor and study this and other developments in traffic design, to improve road safety for all users.