New crash sparks calls for action on junction

In the wake of yet another collision at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street last Saturday morning, this time involving a Lexus and a taxi, transport bodies and motorists are calling for the authorities to step in to ensure that the junction is safe.

Members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport whom my paper spoke to yesterday urged the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to look into the matter.

Mr Ang Hin Kee, a committee member and adviser to the National Taxi Association, said: "Following these accidents, the LTA should ensure that there are adequate safety measures in place, and that the road conditions and set-up are safe for all users."

Last Saturday's accident comes two weeks after a Ferrari allegedly beat the red light on the morning of May 12 and crashed into a taxi, resulting in three deaths.

The Lexus in the latest case - the eighth reported at the junction in the past month - also allegedly beat a red light and hit the tail end of the taxi, causing the cab to spin.

The driver of the Lexus, a 30-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested for suspected drink driving and dangerous driving.

Mr Ang also suggested that the authorities should consider getting taxi companies to make taxis safer by installing airbags and conducting routine mainte- nance checks on cabs.

"A safer road for taxis is also a safer road for other motorists, and will be beneficial for all."

On whether taxi drivers needed more training in road safety, he said that was not necessary as there were no mistakes made by the cabbies in both the latest accident and the Ferrari crash, where their driving skills were concerned.

He supported calls for a separate licensing and competency test for drivers of "supercars", as "the capacity and performance (of a supercar) are very different from those of a normal sedan, and drivers may not know how to handle that kind of horse- power".

Fellow committee member Gan Thiam Poh said it was the responsibility of motorists to help prevent accidents and that safety should be a priority.

Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of the Public Transport Council, said that the roads at the junction are wide and, coupled with the lighter traffic conditions in the wee hours, drivers may be more likely to speed.

"The focus of the accidents should not be on the cars, but on the recklessness of the drivers.

Motorists should comply with traffic regulations to prevent accidents from happening," he reiterated.
Other motorists also urged for more to be done.

Undergraduate Marcus Tan, 24, said: "The LTA should identify any blind spots that make the junction prone to accidents, and correct them as soon as possible, before another fatality happens."

A netizen said on citizen-journalism website Stomp yesterday that there appeared to be a surveillance camera with a "perfect vantage point" installed at the junction, and suggested that the authorities use the footage captured to further probe the accidents.