‘Unhygienic’ cyclist uses foot to press pedestrian crossing button in Ang Mo Kio
A cyclist was caught on camera using his foot to press a pedestrian crossing button in Ang Mo Kio on May 12, leaving one Stomper concerned about hygiene.
Stomper Anonymous shared a video of the incident that he witnessed at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 at about 8.19am.
The video shows the cyclist approaching the traffic light button while still on his bicycle.
He is then seen stretching out his left foot to press the button before stopping to wait for the green man.
The Stomper said he found the act unhygienic.
“This cyclist didn’t care about other users by using his foot to press the button,” said the Stomper.
“I felt it was unhygienic because germs may be transferred to the next person who presses the button with their hand.”
LTA rolling out contactless pedestrian crossing buttons islandwide
However, concerns about germs being transferred through traffic light buttons may soon become a thing of the past with the introduction of new contactless pedestrian crossing buttons.
Since 2025, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been progressively replacing existing mechanical pedestrian push buttons with touchless microwave sensors that detect hand movements using electromagnetic waves.
As part of the programme, LTA is replacing 11,500 pedestrian push buttons across Singapore in phases, starting with junctions equipped with older mechanical buttons.
Instead of physically pressing the button, pedestrians can simply wave their hand in front of the sensor to activate the “green man”.
LTA said the initiative is aimed at reducing touch points and improving hygiene, and expects the full replacement programme to be completed by the second half of 2028.
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