SINGAPORE: Calls for a pedestrian crossing and road humps have heightened in Taman Jurong after a 12-year-old girl passed away in a fatal accident in the area on Jan 30.
Residents have been asking the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for a zebra crossing or speed bumps after witnessing careless drivers and seeing that students from nearby schools were nearly hit by vehicles on Yuan Ching Road, The Straits Times reported on Feb 9.
There happen to be two schools in the area, Yuvabharathi International School and Jurong Secondary School.
However, concerned residents were allegedly told by the authority previously that markings were in place to get drivers to slow down, and that students appeared to be safe when they crossed.
Other residents have also complained to LTA about the loud noises drivers make when speeding, especially late at night, and asked for a road hump to ensure that these noises are minimised.
After the young girl’s untimely death on Jan 30, individuals are again saying that more should be done to prevent such accidents.
“We do need to think more about injury prevention and road safety in our communities. The Taman Jurong accident is an example where having designated pedestrian crossings, speed limits of 30kmh and speed bumps could have prevented this unfortunate accident,” wrote Dr Goh E Shaun in a letter published in the ST Forum on Feb 5.
Dr Goh cited the death of a four-year-old just days before the Taman Jurong mishap, when little Zara Orlic was hit by a car on the way to her home in River Valley. The Police said that a 40-year-old woman was arrested under suspicion of careless driving causing death.
“We should also look at other areas where there are a large number of pedestrians who may exhibit risky behaviour, and where vehicles tend to drive fast,” Dr Goh wrote, adding that “We do need to protect vulnerable road users like children, who tend to take unnecessary risks or have difficulty reacting to complex traffic situations.”
The Feb 9 ST report featured one Yuan Ching Road resident who had seen the how children crossing the road and wrote to the LTA about it last year. Revealing that she feels haunted by the recent fatality, 62-year-old Madam Nargis said:
“I wish I could have done more to prevent this accident from happening. I saw people washing blood away. It’s still fresh in my mind, I cannot come out of it.” /TISG
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