Left behind by the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, city’s elderly could get smart cards for extra walking time at pedestrian crossings
Elderly residents have welcomed the proposal, which involves device similar to one used in Singapore, though they say there is no pressing need
The Transport Department has put forward a proposal to give the elderly and the disabled more walking time at pedestrian crossings.
It is looking into allowing senior citizens and disabled people to tap a device with a smart card at a pedestrian crossing, thereby lengthening the crossing time to accommodate those with slower walking speeds.
“The exact green time to be lengthened will depend on the width of the crossing and the prevailing traffic condition there,” said the department, in response to an enquiry from the Post.
The current green time of a pedestrian light ranges between 12 seconds to one minute, and is determined based on an average walking speed of 0.9 to 1.2 metres per second, the size of the crossing, and the volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow.
WATCH: How the smartcard system works in Singapore
The transport authority does not expect traffic to be seriously affected as the device is activated on a need-only basis, but will closely monitor the traffic condition when implementing the proposal.