Forum: Consider lowering urban speed limits to address traffic concerns

I refer to Ms Nadine Chua’s account of encountering a speeding driver in Upper Serangoon Road, only to meet him again at the next traffic light (Avoidable deaths, excuses, selfish behaviour: Why Singapore’s road culture needs to change, April 19). It captures a familiar paradox: speeding often feels faster, but rarely gets us there sooner.

Recent enforcement data points to a serious concern. Singapore has about 240 red-light camera locations – covering only a minority of our signalised junctions – yet about 21,000 motorists were caught speeding at these junctions within just nine months after speed enforcement was introduced in April 2024.

This points to a widespread pattern: drivers accelerating hard between lights, only to stop again, while raising risk at exactly the most dangerous points of the road network.

The broader trend is moving in the wrong direction. Singapore recorded 192,000 speeding violations in 2024 – a 10-year high – while speeding-related fatalities rose 44 per cent in a single year.

The usual concern is that lowering speed limits will worsen journey times. In reality, there is little to lose. On urban roads, travel time is shaped more by time spent at traffic lights than by the speed between them.

In Singapore, average peak-hour speeds are already between 21kmh and 26kmh. Cities such as Helsinki, Paris and London have reduced urban speed limits from 50kmh to 30kmh and seen safety improve without meaningful impact on journey times.

Speed affects safety, especially at junctions, where risks are concentrated. At higher speeds, an amber light can force drivers into a dangerous choice: brake and risk being hit from behind, or accelerate and risk running the red. At lower speeds, that dilemma largely disappears, as drivers have enough time to stop safely.

Reducing the urban speed limit from 50kmh to 40kmh would be a modest step, but a consequential one. It would not meaningfully slow traffic, yet it would directly reduce risky driving at junctions and lessen the severity of accidents when they occur.

Lowering urban speed limits is a step Singapore can take now to prevent further loss of life.

Francis Chu
President, Safety for Active Mobility Users