Update the law on jay walking

1. I made a post in my Facebook page that I crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing against a red man, when the road is clear. There were no cars as far as my eyes can see. If I pressed the button for the green man, it might take up to 2 minutes for the green man to appear, based on my past experiences. I crossed the road without waiting for the green man, because it was quite safe to do so.

2. That post was seen by over 400,000 people. This is an unusually high number, and is almost ten times higher than my viral posts in the past.

3. Some people said that I was committing a crime. They obviously do not know the difference between a crime (which carries serious penalty and jail sentence) and an offense (which carries a warning or a fine). These people should check the meaning of their words before they pass a wrong or harmful comment.

4. What was my purpose in making the post? Many pedestrian crossings and traffic junctions around Singapore are quite unfriendly to pedestrians. They make the pedestrians waiting longer than necessary.

I hope that my post will result in a review of the current arrangement and result in some improvements:

a) For a pedestrian crossing, it is reasonable for the green man to appear within 15 or 30 seconds. Two minutes is too long. From my observation, it is possible to reduce the waiting time without disrupting the flow of traffic for vehicles.

b) At traffic junctions, I wish to see a shorter waiting time for pedestrians to cross the road. In the past, vehicles turning left give way to pedestrians. In recent years, the vehicles have the right of way, forcing pedestrians to wait longer for a short period to cross the road.

c) It was also unfair to force pedestrians to walk a long distance to cross the road. I prefer the crossings to be placed closer to the bus stops and for a shorter distance between crossings on two sides of a major road. Pedestrians now have to walk a somewhat long distance, which appears unnecessary.

5. I now take public transport often and I also take long walks often. I understand the need for road safety and support measures that enhance safety, but these measures should not cause unnecessary inconvenience to pedestrians.

I do not like long waiting time or long walking distance that appear to be unnecessary. I am aware of the need to see this matter from the perspective of the pedestrians and vehicle drivers. I exercise my common sense to see what is reasonable and what is not.

6. Some people said that I am encouraging pedestrians, and especially young children, to disobey traffic regulations and road safety. These people should not carry their argument too fair and out of context.

I think that it is safe to cross the road when the road is clear of traffic. They should still be cross the road with care. If they are not sure, they should wait for the green man.

7. More importantly, I like to see the waiting time at pedestrian crossing reduced to 15 second or 30 second at the most.

I have experienced a pedestrian crossing where the waiting time is 15 second. It is located at Bishan North Shopping Center. Although the road is generally busy, the shorter waiting time did not appear to disrupt the traffic flow for the vehicles.

This pedestrian crossing is an exception. I might be wrong, but I suspect that this shorter waiting time was made when the member of parliament for the constituency held a senior position in the ministry of transport.

I do not complain about the privilege enjoyed by the residents of that constituency. I only wish for the positive experience to be extended to pedestrian crossings in other parts of Singapore.

8. Several people said that they also crossed the road when it is clear and safe and do not wait for the green man. They also said that it was a sensible thing to do, although it is technically an offense.

9. I have not yet received a fine for crossing the road against a red man at the pedestrian crossing. I think the police does not have evidence to charge me, although they might use my post as evidence to charge me.

I hope that they are more sensible and receive my post as a feedback and update the law against jay walking to be more sensible and friendly to pedestrians.

Tan Kin Lian

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