LTA hastens installation of overhead traffic light at Rochor

[Darthrevan]

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will bring forward its plans to install overhead traffic lights at the junction of Victoria Street and Rochor Road.

 

LTA said it will start installing the overhead traffic lights on Tuesday, instead of waiting for Downtown Line MRT works to be completed next year.

 

The traffic lights are expected to start operating early next week.

 

LTA said it decided to do so following public feedback and suggestions on how to further improve the road junction.

 

A fatal accident at the junction involving a Ferrari and a taxi on May 12 left three dead.

 

Another accident occurred on May 26 involving a Lexus and a taxi.

 

LTA said its traffic engineers have studied the feedback and suggestions, and decided to bring forward the installation of the overhead traffic lights at the junction as another precautionary measure, instead of waiting till 2013 as planned.

 

However, the overhead traffic lights will result in a narrowing of the pedestrian footpath there until the road is reinstated after the construction of Downtown Line (Stage 1) is completed by the middle of 2013.

 

LTA said this is a trade-off to accommodate the additional precautionary measure.

 

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1205470/1/.html

[Ldlian987]

after 2 accidents and 3 fatalities then something is done? i guess there are many such junctions that have received feedbacks but nothing is being done until there is a major accident.

[Atlantis80]

Probably they needed to justify writing the report with some Cost-Benefit analysis. But until these 2 major accidents, they had difficulties justifying the "benefits" of installing the Overhead traffic lights.

[Proton_neutron]

Cos installing traffic light very costly mah.

 

They won't do anything that'll affect their bank accounts. Our child birth's replacement already so low, they still wanna lose more people in traffic accidents.

 

Dunno what they thinking.....

[Watwheels]

Tuck You too busy fiddling with the cable ties, that's why.

[inlinesix]

For once, LTA proved me wrong. Kudos to LTA.

[Micarforum]

public pressure cannot be underestimated.

 

this junction was a black spot, not a high accident prone area, based on their past data. but it features 2 high profile accidents, so no choice i guess.

[Peregrine]

public pressure cannot be underestimated.

 

this junction was a black spot, not a high accident prone area, based on their past data. but it features 2 high profile accidents, so no choice i guess.

One letter in the press certainly made the point that only at this junction along such a long stretch of Victoria Street (in North-East direction) were there no overhead traffic lights during the period when the Ferrai-Sonata collision occurred.

http://www.mycarforum.com/index.php?showto...78531&st=28

 

Where are the overhead traffic light signals?

 

ONE consideration in the tragic accident on May 12 at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street ('2 dead, 3 injured in three-way Bugis crash'; May 13) is the absence of overhead traffic signal lights (see photo).

 

Each traffic junction along the stretch of Victoria Street, including pedestrian crossings, has a set of overhead traffic signal lights in addition to those on both sides of the road.

 

These overhead traffic signal lights are crucial, particularly along a long, straight road.

 

When one is driving, the key indicator to stop at a junction is primarily the overhead signal lights.

 

Their absence may be a factor in clouding the judgment of motorists, who think there is no traffic junction.

 

Instead, they look ahead for the next set of overhead traffic signals.

 

The Land Transport Authority may be able to explain why overhead traffic signal lights are absent only at that particular junction along Victoria Street.

 

Hong Geok Hua

 

 

S.T. Forum (print) 24 May 2012

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/STForum/...ory_802295.html

 

 

[Babyt]

well i think LTA explains liao...the overhead light by right will be installed after completion of downtown thats why its not there.

[Peregrine]

I asked the following question in the other thread:

 

"Could it be that they were there previously, but removed during works/road realignment related to Downtown MRT line construction? Could not the post/pole be relocated at another corner to continue to serve its role, rather than be completely absent?

 

Perhaps those who have been driving regularly along Victoria Street can confirm whether the overhead traffic lights were there previously (sometime ago, before that accident)."

 

 

Today, I was looking at this Rochor Road/ Victoria Street junction on Google Maps and then looked at the street level photographs (which were probably filmed after DownTown Line Stage 1 construction works were already underway). When I looked in the South West direction (towards Bugis Junction) there was a set of overhead traffic lights with the ERP gantry just behind it.

 

So perhaps the set of overhead traffic lights in the North-East direction was taken down for MRT construction works. If that was indeed the case, I reckon it had a vital role and LTA should have relocated the pole at the left side corner before the junction. Or even at the centre divider with the upper arm pointing left (instead of the usual right). At least there would be consistency in traffic lights pattern to motorists.

 

Relocation should have been done immediately after removal and not wait till completion of MRT works ...... too long a period of absence!

Edited June 5, 2012 by Peregrine

[Kb27]

Cos installing traffic light very costly mah.

 

They won't do anything that'll affect their bank accounts. Our child birth's replacement already so low, they still wanna lose more people in traffic accidents.

 

Dunno what they thinking.....

 

On the contrary I think they have too much money.

 

On the section of Yishun Ring Road where I passed by, I lost count of how many useless pedestrian crossings they keep adding.

[Gee]

That shows lack of coordination work and poor safety first practice.

If another incident happens due to that i dunno what to say already.

Why don't they wake up their minds.

[Happily1986]

On the contrary I think they have too much money.

 

On the section of Yishun Ring Road where I passed by, I lost count of how many useless pedestrian crossings they keep adding.

 

got a lot meh? just one in front of khoo teck puat hospital's a&e. i dont know of any more.

[Happily1986]

That shows lack of coordination work and poor safety first practice.

If another incident happens due to that i dunno what to say already.

Why don't they wake up their minds.

 

from my understanding, all such temporary fixtures relating to public road infrastructure falls under the responsibility of the lead contractor. there are actually alot of technical requirements and guidelines to follow. Some of them can even be found on the net if you google.

 

i am hazarding a guess that perhaps when it came to provisioning for the replacement of traffic lights at realigned junctions, perhaps there is a grey area as far as guidelines are concerned, specifically when it came to overhead traffic light poles.

[Expertz]

i won't blame LTA, if you've worked with govt related agencies you'll know how they react

i've ever attended a meeting where i deliberately slashed the cost by almost half knowing that they will not be able to revert within a week and true enough they took a month to reply despite my offer below my own cost price