Stomper suspects new traffic light design played role in friend's fatal motorcycle crash
Could double-row traffic lights be a contributing factor to accidents?
Stomper Jason is concerned that this relatively new traffic light design poses a potential road safety hazard.
He highlighted an accident that took place at the junction of Bukit Panjang Road and Jelebu Road on Aug 15.
The Stomper said: "Recently, I came across a video of a serious accident in Bukit Panjang involving a motorcyclist who ran the red light and collided with a right-turning bus.
"The traffic light in that video appeared to be of the same design."
In an email to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) he shared with Stomp, Jason explained: "I have observed that at the junction of Still Road towards East Coast Parkway and Joo Chiat, the traffic light design differs from the usual ones.
"Specifically, there is an additional row of arrow lights below the standard red, amber and green lights.
"On several occasions, I have noticed that when the light shows red for vehicles going straight on the top row, the green right-turn arrow on the second row is illuminated.
"From a distance, this can easily appear as a standard green light to drivers who may be distracted or not paying full attention, potentially causing them to move forward despite the red signal.
"This design could very well be a contributing factor to accidents."
This issue is personal to the Stomper for a tragic reason.
"I lost a close friend in a road accident in Punggol recently, and I strongly suspect the traffic light design may have played a role," said Jason.
On Aug 12, an off-duty Singapore Civil Defence Force officer died after an accident involving his motorcycle and two vans at the junction of Punggol Way and Sumang Link.
The deceased appeared to have run a red light. The junction has double-row traffic lights.
The Stomper urged the authorities to:
- Conduct an urgent review of traffic lights with this design across Singapore.
- Assess if their positioning and visibility create confusion for road users.
- Implement necessary modifications or clearer signalling to reduce the risk of accidents.
In response to a Stomp query, an LTA spokesperson said this is the first time LTA has received such feedback.
LTA has been progressively implementing the double-row traffic light design since 2020 as part of its efforts to replace discretionary right turns with Red Amber Green (RAG) arrows to enhance road safety.
"Motorists turning right must stop behind the stop line and wait for the green arrow before proceeding. To improve visibility, these junctions have both overhead and ground-level traffic lights," explained the spokesperson.
"This design has been implemented at many junctions across the island and LTA has observed about a 40 per cent reduction in accidents involving rights turns after the installation of RAG arrows.
"At locations where visibility may pose a challenge, for example at road bends, additional measures are put in place to alert motorists to the junction ahead."
LTA added it conducts regular reviews of traffic schemes and will monitor the situation closely.
"Road safety remains a shared responsibility," said the spokesperson.
"Beyond infrastructure improvements, motorists are encouraged to adopt safe driving practices, such as obeying traffic lights and staying alert, especially when approaching junctions."
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