By Christopher Tan
Senior Correspondent

FOR senior citizens who need a bit more time to cross the road, the Green Man will be more patient.

From next month, elderly folk who hold the senior citizen concession cards can use them to make crossing the road less hurried.

Card readers have been installed at five pedestrian crossings here, just above the button that activates the Green Man.

When a senior citizen taps his senior concession card - issued to those aged 60 and above - on the reader, the green crossing signal will stay on for another three to five seconds.

Currently, the Green Man stays on for 17 seconds at a four-lane crossing, and 21 seconds for a six-lane crossing.

Known as Green Man Plus by the Land Transport Authority, it is made possible by the new card's multi-function technologies.

Most commuters have swopped their old ez-link cards for the new ones since the exchange programme started in January.

The remainder have up to Sept 30 to do so.

The first five Green Man Plus crossings will be operational from Thursday next week. They are at:

• Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, near Ang Mo Kio MRT station;
• Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, near Yio Chu Kang MRT station;
• Jalan Bukit Merah, near Block 162;
• Sinaran Drive, near Tan Tock Seng Hospital,
• The junction of Toa Payoh Central and Toa Payoh Lorong 4.

These first locations were selected because they are near health-care and transport nodes, an LTA spokesman said.

She added that the authority is looking to expand Green Man Plus to more crossings: "We will also explore the feasibility of extending this scheme to the physically disabled, who may also need longer green time."

The Straits Times understands that the LTA may also provide the new tap-and-ride cards to homes of the aged in future.

Told of Green Man Plus, Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of the Council for the Third Age, which promotes active ageing, said: "It's an excellent idea, and an intelligent use of technology.

"This way, you don't have to extend the timing of all the crossings all the time and hold up traffic unnecessarily. I certainly hope it works."

There are about 2,000 signalised pedestrian crossings in Singapore. Senior citizen concession cards are issued by the LTA while EZ-Link issues the adult anonymous ez-link cards.

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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