SINGAPORE - The speed limit in two Silver Zones in Bukit Merah and Jurong will be reduced from 40kmh to 30kmh from April 2020.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced a one-year trial for the zones in Bukit Merah View and Jurong West Street 52 in a Facebook post on Thursday (Nov 21).

Explaining why the speed limits will be implemented, LTA said: "Such traffic calming measures are aimed at slowing down motorists' speeds to make our roads safer for pedestrians, especially for our seniors when they navigate in the Silver Zones."

In addition to the new speed limit, LTA said there would be "traffic calming features" such as a raised junction and road markings at the Bukit Merah and Jurong West zones from December.

LTA said it would continue working with the community during the trial period to refine the measures implemented.

In March this year, LTA said it would lower the speed limit in some Silver Zones from 40kmh to 30kmh as part of a trial in areas with a large population of senior citizens.

The Silver Zone scheme was first announced in 2014. The scheme seeks to create zones, called Silver Zones, in areas with a high population of senior residents, relatively higher accident rates involving seniors, and amenities which they frequent, such as wet markets.

When an area is designated as a Silver Zone, some measures are implemented to help slow traffic down, such as lowering the speed limit, having two-stage crossings so pedestrians can wait at the centre divider before crossing over to the other side, and narrowing roads at crossings to get cars to slow down.

Three-dimensional road markings were also introduced in the Whampoa Drive Silver Zone last year.

The markings were painted with a material known as thermoplastic and made the roads appear narrower to motorists.

The Silver Zone scheme won an international award - the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award - in 2016.

Currently, there are 17 Silver Zones islandwide. By 2023, there will be 50 such zones.

According to the LTA, there has been a 75 per cent drop in the number of accidents involving elderly pedestrians in Silver Zones.