Take housewife L.H. Lee, 28. With one hand gripping her five-year-old son and the other holding a pram with her 11-month-old baby in it, she was spotted dashing across busy Serangoon Road last Thursday.

It was lunch hour in Little India and the four-lane road was packed with vehicles.

She was aware that a 'green man' traffic light was only 30m away. But she insisted: 'It's not dangerous. You just have to run at the right time and be fast. I'm not worried.'

Just as blase was Mr Syed Hussain, 35, from India. The shop assistant does not use the 'green man' crossing when he makes his way to the shop in Campbell Lane.

'Everyone jaywalks here and as long as I look carefully, nothing will happen,' he said.

The likes of Mrs Lee and Mr Hussain have become a too common sight across Singapore.

Of the 30 jaywalkers The Sunday Times spoke to, most insisted that it was safe to dash across, as long as they were 'careful'. Eight were unaware jaywalking is an offence.

Jaywalkers can be fined $20 on the spot by the Traffic Police. If charged and convicted in court, the fine can go up to $1,000 and they risk a jail term of up to three months too.

In a worrying trend, the number of jaywalkers fined has gone up from 4,030 in 2004 to 7,398 last year.

Even more troubling is the high number of elderly victims.

Twenty-eight jaywalkers were killed last year, up from 22 in 2006. The Traffic Police attributed the increase to the number of elderly jaywalkers killed. Last year, 14 people aged 60 and above were killed, almost double the nine cases in 2006.

Up to 1,000 summonses were issued last year by the Traffic Police in three areas alone: North Bridge Road, Tampines Central and Jalan Eunos.

The Sunday Times visited five jaywalking hot spots last week: Orchard Road, North Bridge Road, Liang Seah Street, Serangoon Road and Toa Payoh Lorong 4.

At each spot, pedestrians were seen jaywalking across the road even though they were within 30m of a 'green man' traffic light.

In just half an hour last Wednesday afternoon, more than 500 people were seen jaywalking along the stretch in front of Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann City.

On both sides of the very busy five-lane road, pedestrians stood waiting for traffic to ease. Each time there was a brief gap in the flow, up to 30 people could be seen making the mad dash across the street.

But while the younger ones easily weaved between cars, some elderly folk nervously edged their way to the other side.

A taxi nearly hit a teenage girl, who was plugged into her iPod music player, in front of Tang's. She blissfully walked on, even as the angry cabby honked and gestured at her.

She should have used the nearby signalised Scotts Road/

Orchard Road junction or the underground walkway.

Over at North Bridge Road, pedestrians were seen jaywalking across to Capitol Centre right in front of a no-crossing sign. At least 400 people were seen jaywalking in a 30-minute period.

Private school student Liang Hui Min, 19, admitted that she jaywalks every day in front of the City Hall train station to get to her class at Capitol Centre.

'To get to the traffic light, I have to walk at least an extra 20m. It's just too annoying,' she said.

Was she aware of the no-crossing sign? Yes, but 'since everyone was doing it', she did so too. Besides, Singapore roads 'are quite safe', she said blithely.

Similar jaywalking scenes were seen in the other hot spots.

American tourist Michael Gates, 54, was spotted running across Liang Seah Street with his wife to get to their hotel nearby.

'The locals are all doing it, so I guess it's the culture here,' said Mr Gates. 'I presume it's safe even though I won't do it back home.'

Marketing manager S.L. Chew, 36, whose car almost knocked down a jaywalker in Orchard Road last week, urged the authorities to raise the fine and to put up more signs to deter such rash acts.

'Something needs to be done to prevent any tragedy,' she said.

Marketing manager James Wong, 37, wants the Traffic Police to carry out more checks to catch jaywalkers.

He said: 'It's very frustrating and stressful for drivers to constantly look out for jaywalkers.'

The Traffic Police said it is reaching out to jaywalkers through road safety videos, talks and games.

A police spokesman also reminded pedestrians that they should always use designated pedestrian crossings.

Cabby Lim Keow Siong, 44, has resigned himself to giving way to jaywalkers.

'They expect drivers to look out for them,' he said.

National Safety Council president Tan Jin Thong agreed that jaywalking has become prevalent and that more action is needed.

'At the end of the day, it's your life you're playing with if you want to jaywalk,' he said.

Additional reporting by Alex Liam

mavistoh@sph.com.sg

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