We thank the forum writer, Mr He Jia Hui, for his suggestion on adding countdown displays to traffic lights (Adding countdown displays to traffic lights, 26 January).

LTA has studied the use of countdown timers, but international evidence and previous trials conducted locally have shown that they do not encourage safer driving and may increase accident risk.  As pointed out by Mr He, we had indeed seen in our previous trials that motorists had chosen to “race against the clock” by accelerating to beat the countdown timer. This same observation has also prompted some cities to scale back or remove these systems.

To improve safety at junctions, LTA has adopted a standardised three-second amber phase at all junctions, followed by an additional two to six seconds where both the red traffic signal and red pedestrian signal are displayed. This allows vehicles already in the junction to drive off safely before the next phase begins.  

In addition, the latest Traffic Police (TP)’s Annual Road Traffic Situation 2024 revealed that most traffic accidents are caused by motorists' failure to keep a proper lookout, inadequate vehicle control, or unsafe lane changes rather than misjudging signal timings. TP will continue targeted enforcement, including the use of more red-light cameras with speed detection functions. The penalties for speeding offences have also increased since 1 January 2026.

Road safety remains a shared responsibility. While LTA continues to explore effective traffic management, we would also like to encourage all road users to stay alert at junctions and obey traffic signals.

Alvin Chia

Senior Group Director, Traffic and Road Operations

Land Transport Authority