SINGAPORE - A traffic light scheme giving seniors and people with disabilities more time to cross the road will be expanded to cover half of the pedestrian crossings in all residential estates here by 2027.

This is after implementation plans were delayed by a year.

In a Facebook post on Oct 31, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will progressively roll out the Green Man Plus scheme at 1,500 more pedestrian crossings by the fourth quarter of 2027, taking the total number of traffic light crossings covered under the initiative to more than 2,500.

LTA said previously that the expansion of the scheme would be completed by 2026.

According to a tender put out by the agency last week, the pedestrian crossings that will get new Green Man Plus card readers include those at the junction of Jalan Sultan and Victoria Street, the intersection of Alexandra Road, Jalan Bukit Merah and Queensway, and around the Pasir Ris Central area.

When deciding on these locations, LTA said it considered factors such as the elderly population nearby and whether the selected crossing connects people to amenities frequented by the elderly and those with disabilities.

“For example, we have observed that crossings near MRT stations typically have the highest Green Man Plus utilisation rates,” the authority said. “We also take feedback from the community into account when reviewing potential Green Man Plus locations.”

The expansion will be conducted in six stages, and there will be an option for the authority to expand the Green Man Plus scheme to another 500 crossings, on top of the 1,500 new locations.

“Singapore faces a greying population, and planning for the infrastructural needs of the elderly has become increasingly important,” it said in tender documents.

Introduced in 2009, the Green Man Plus scheme gives seniors and those with disabilities between three and 13 seconds more to cross the road, depending on the width of the crossings.

These pedestrians need to tap their concession cards on a card reader installed on traffic light poles to activate this extended “green man” time. The Green Man Plus card readers also allow pedestrians with disabilities to activate audible traffic signals at some crossings between 9pm and 7am.

At present, there are more than 1,000 pedestrian crossings islandwide equipped with Green Man Plus card readers, and the plan to expand the scheme to 1,500 more locations was mooted in 2019 as part of the Land Transport Master Plan 2040.

LTA told The Straits Times that the planned roll-out of the expansion by 2026 was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. With more time to work on the expansion, the authority said it has improved the installation process.

The latest expansion will use wireless communication technology instead of physical cables, eliminating the need to dig up roads.

This will save about two weeks of construction time at each location and reduce the inconvenience it may cause to nearby residents, LTA added.

The new Green Man Plus card readers will also be designed such that the extra time to cross the road can be activated in future with a token that can be detected using ultra-high-frequency radio waves.

Asked why it will take until 2027 to complete the Green Man Plus expansion, LTA said time is needed to carry out surveys at each traffic junction to determine how long the “green man” timing can be extended at each crossing.

LTA added that these surveys are needed to meet the needs of pedestrians without affecting traffic flow.

Ms Grace Ng, 67, who often uses the traffic light crossing at Bishan Street 13 connecting Bishan bus interchange with Bishan Community Club, said she is glad there are Green Man Plus card readers installed there.

By her estimation, the “green man” signal there normally stays on for about 20 seconds, and she has to hurry across the road if she does not tap her senior citizen concession card to extend the time.

“With this option, at least you don’t feel that you need to rush,” said the part-time volunteer at non-profit group RSVP Singapore.

She added: “I can run if I want, but I find that it is not wise. It is safer to just walk slowly.”