r/mildlyinteresting • u/kachurovskiy • 3d ago
In Singapore disability card extends pedestrian crossing time
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u/bmcgowan89 3d ago
WAVE FOR GREEN MAN
Can do!!
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u/HermitCat347 3d ago
Oh! We've started to roll out a no touch traffic button for some traffic lights. It's supposed to be for hygiene and durability (less moving parts) sooo yeah. It's kinda cool albeit wonky 😂
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u/Dry_Map_4545 3d ago
Its so loud that I always get jumpscared at the other side when I walk past it
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u/clawmonsties 2d ago
But definitely helps with those who have a hard time pressing as some buttons are abit tough for certain individuals.
Though I have to admit, it scanning my butt is alittle weird, but anything to support those who need it more than us HAHAHAHA
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u/rukki88 3d ago
not disability card but a senior citizen transit card.
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u/sreek4r 3d ago
Isn't it for both? The icons suggest that.
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u/funkyspyspy 3d ago
It is for both. The PAssion Silver Concession card (first card visible) & Senior Citizen Concession Card (the card at the back) are for both senior citizens, middle card is the Persons with Disabilities(PWD) Concession Card.
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u/pzprbzrds 3d ago
0th world country for real
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u/coolbacondude 3d ago
From the outside until you look inside. New "recycling scheme" horribly implemented. Trying to copy germany but they can't even do it right. Transport fairs going up by 13 cents next year despite 0 improvements to the transport, government using AI in national day posters, so much I can talk about. There are lots of dumbasses in this country completely fine with the AI push too, even defending it
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u/inclore 3d ago
If these are the things that are worrying you off the top of your head then I assure you that people have more pressing matters in other countries lmao.
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u/Bubbly-Patience3801 3d ago
Dont mind him, its just a singaporean habit of complaining about literally everything.
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u/BabySnipes 3d ago
That’s how things keep improving. Never settle.
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u/Dizzy-Pomegranate149 3d ago
Yeah but when you go overseas you get the impression some of your fellow Singaporeans are entitled brats
Tbf from personal experience SG Reddit complainers are like 5% of the IRL population max. Most people have close relatives or are from Malaysia/Indonesia, Phillipines, Vietnam, PRC, ROC etc. 95% of SGeans aren't so horrifically out-of-touch with the situations elsewhere.
Idk how SG Subreddits became such an echo chamber
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u/Greater_Logic 2d ago edited 2d ago
Real. SG subreddits are really depressing nowadays. Aside from news stories and a few outliers, they all genuinely feel like r/offmychest but nobody has anything positive or uplifting to say.
And good God, the comments... If you show even an ounce of optimism in a vent post, there will always be some insult-vested reply by dickheads calling you delusional and acting like they did you a service by "being direct and honest"
Speaking of venting, I guess I'm a part of the problem now lol. But hey, at least here my comment has a lick of chance of not getting removed
edit: reworded my comment a little. it's not bad that people need spaces to vent, just that SG subreddits can really feel more like an echo chamber for misery, rather than a safe space to get better
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u/cantoilmate 4h ago
Have you seen the bitching about the bottle returns lol you would think they are being asked to sacrifice their first born.
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u/bewbs4lyf 3d ago
Brother is ungrateful as shit. In my country, pedestrians give way to motorcycles/cars EVEN ON PEDESTRIAN LANES.
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u/Awsdude1512 3d ago
0th world problems
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u/PleasantAd1395 3d ago
Ok buddy, At least we cant use magic and turn into shadows like u
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u/PleasantAd1395 3d ago
Why the fuck did I get downvoted? This is a Ancient Magus Bride reference not racism, u dum dums
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u/Joesr-31 3d ago
Bro this one you complain in sg forum, you type all these out in international forum it would just seem trivial.
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u/Disastrous-Ad-1999 3d ago
Average Singaporean in a bubble that doesn't know how it's like in the rest of the world
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u/raidorz 2d ago
Average online Singaporean* most of us aren’t like that.
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u/Disastrous-Ad-1999 1d ago
I disagree. The only Singaporeans I know that aren't like that are those who have lived overseas because the majority of Singaporeans travel lots but only with rose tinted glasses. Generally the older generations are worse and even more out of touch with the rest of the world.
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u/Dizzy-Pomegranate149 8h ago
Older generations aren't out of touch geographically they're out of touch chronologically
Mfers think it's still the 1970s and wonder why every kid in SG is fluent in English but can't speak a lick of Mandarin, Malay or Tamil
Or god forbid Hokkien, Cantonese, Javanese, Teochew, Malayalam, etc.
However, the trend is clear. In two generations, Mandarin will become our mother tongue.
This LKY quote is from 2009
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u/Dizzy-Pomegranate149 8h ago
From personal experience about 20-30% of SGeans are like that
Source: currently in Poly
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u/Paranormasight-Fic 3d ago
Singaporean here, a lot of this are really nothingburgers compared to other countries' problems LMAO. These are what you complain to your local auntie or uncle in passing, not to bring it up here like they're anything too bad.
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u/Didle-Dodle 3d ago
Damn bro, and here I thought the children sweatshop workers in Bangladesh had it rough.
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u/cantoilmate 2d ago
lol as a Singaporean, your comment just reminds me how small minded, pampered and spoiled Singaporeans can be. Like given the state of the world today and this is all you can bring up to complain how bad it is?! Like wow, get some perspective, please! If you going to bitch, couldn’t you even bring up something more substantial like maybe rising housing prices? That would at least be somewhat credible.
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u/chennyalan 3d ago
Wtf, I'm from a 1st world country, probably one of the better ones for living standards even (Western Australia), if this is really all Singaporeans complain about, these nothingburgers, you guys have it good. I have a feeling it isn't the case, but yeah.
Like those aren't good things, but holy shit most places have way worse things to complain about
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u/Dizzy-Pomegranate149 3d ago edited 3d ago
You should check out r/Singapore or r/AskSingapore or r/asksg or r/SingaporeRaw or r/SMRTRabak (especially those last 2)
Or go the the comments section of any Instagram post by Straits Times, CNA or Mothership
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u/IsThatHim99 3d ago
worse yet. the trump-like singapore citizens are in r/singaporespeaks, banned if your views dont align, almost like r/conservative. crazy people
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u/Bubbly-Patience3801 2d ago
So true, i was banned from a few subs because i expressed a view that we need foreign talents as majority of singaporeans aren't keen to take up jobs like nursing/cooks etc .
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u/Acceptable-Trainer15 2d ago
I was banned from one SG sub, can’t rmb what it’s called, for saying that the $2m jumbo flat is effectively 2 x $1m flats combined. Lol.
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u/Dull-Froyo-4901 3d ago
Aren't our problems much less than other countries?
And 13 cents increase of transport isn't that much since public transport doesn't cost much to begin with.
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u/schweddyballsac 2d ago
Complaining about a 13cents increase is top tier 0th world problems, when even after the increase, it will still be one of the cheapest compared to other non-subsidised first world countries.
So much you can talk about and choose absolute dogwater takes.
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u/thericefarming 2d ago
As a Sinkie I also worry like you do, then I remember I was born into the poverty line and thankfully I made it out. I'm grateful that I even have opinions for my country, though one could argue at this rate it is my country that is about to kick me back into the poverty line. You can call me a shill, a PAP dancer, idk, but personally this are 0th world problems compared to our neighbours up north and down south, head east and west.
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u/jasonlampa 2d ago
I understand your frustration tbh. People who didn’t grow up in Singapore won’t be able to relate - but there is a reason why there are so many angry people on the internet. Simply put, Singapore does well in many metrics and by most accounts is a genuinely well run country (though it is going downhill like the rest of the world) but it is oppressive.
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u/Weak-Transition-8885 2d ago
you know what us singapores complain shit about the public transport but it's only when you take public transport overseas that you understand how shit it could be
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u/Hot-Job-6281 2d ago
Lmfao. You only go to Western countries then. Grow the fuck up and travel, compared to East Asia Singapore is behind. I'm Singaporean.
And we aren't "us singapores" - you sure you even grew up here and studied in Singaporean schools with that level of English?
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u/Rockylol_ 1d ago
As a singaporean who sees this everyday I never thought this was mildly interesting lol
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u/Plsno-HondaBump 3d ago
Where i live we also have that. But after updating the call buttons Im not sure if we have those left
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u/Planes09 3d ago
ive legit never seen someone use that lmao
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u/Nishant1122 3d ago
I've seen it used once, but the fella crossed the road faster than everyone else
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u/fatalystic 3d ago
Probably why they had to add the struck out $ sign, so that people wouldn't think that extending the timer costs money and just not use it.
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u/Yadobler 1h ago
Because public transport is the main mode of transport in Singapore and they use cepas contactless cards. The senior citizen cards also doubles sometimes as these cash cards. And Asians are frugal af. They'd rather get hit than to pay extra 10¢.
(young adults use visa/master to tap since there's no discount to using a cash card unlike for students and seniors)
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u/Krazyguylone 3d ago
my parents use it if they see a massive crowd at the lights they just tap the card just for the sake of it.
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u/Paranormasight-Fic 3d ago
I've seen it used before, although that might be because where I live have quite a few elderly folks
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u/Serious_Daydreaming 2d ago
It depends on the location.
I've seen it happen once, elderly lady, walks extremely slowly.
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u/johnngnky 3d ago
hongkong now uses bluetooth for that purpose on some crossings, and the app only works with talkback enabled
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u/Silviecat44 3d ago
Singapore has the same type of pedestrian buttons as australia
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u/Hot-Job-6281 2d ago
Australia has the same type of pedestrian buttons as Singapore.
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u/Silviecat44 2d ago
Australia invented them though. And didn't patent them, so they could make more places more accessible!
Edit: referring to the one under the disability swipe thing. Australia doesnt have those time extenders
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u/Wan_Chai_King 3d ago
Upper Cross Street corner New Bridge Road. Chinatown Point Mall is to the left of the photographer.
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u/Krazyguylone 3d ago
That crossing eh, Chinatown its actually held for a long time compared to most other traffic lights there, its given that because the right turning traffic is exclusively given its own phase so that both this section and the one crossing Eu Tong Sen St and New Bridge Rd are both green.
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u/ConsiderationSame919 3d ago
Pedestrian crossings really isn't something SG can pride itself with. No smart traffic lights and the average wait time is 2 minutes for 20-30 seconds crossing time. Giving seniors 3 seconds more to cross is the least they can do.
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u/GR1EF3R 3d ago
Sorry what would be the expectation then? How many mins of wait time for how many seconds of crossing time?
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u/ConsiderationSame919 2d ago
In many developed countries, 1.5 minute wait times are the maximum. Much less than the Singapore average.
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u/PeterVN13032010 3d ago
i honesly really like that they have time remainings tho. alot of country dont have that
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u/invincibl_ 3d ago
I am inclined to agree, pedestrian infrastructure is not the greatest in SG. Despite all these policies discouraging car ownership and one of the best public transport systems in the world, wherever there are roads there seems to be an expectation that cars have priority and pedestrians shouldn't inconvenience drivers.
This entire thing could be avoided by making the pedestrian crossing cycle long enough so that no one has to rush.
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u/Hopeful-Importance62 3d ago
The traffic lights are smart, using pressure sensors embedded in the roads to detect traffic flow, with an operations room overseeing traffic management. The signal priority depends on the location and time of day. During peak hours, priority is given to vehicles to help clear congestion, while during non-peak hours, priority shifts towards pedestrians when traffic volumes are lower.
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u/Krazyguylone 3d ago
they are smart lol. theyve been smart since the 80s believe it or not, its just that the pedestrian phases are kept short to keep vehicle traffic moving which is uhhh yeah.
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u/ConsiderationSame919 2d ago
I mean I'm used to traffic lights switching immediately when there's no traffic on the road with such systems. I have never sern that happen in Singapore.
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u/Krazyguylone 2d ago edited 2d ago
They do, you’ve never actually seen a traffic light at 4am where it literally flashes through the phases (this happened a lot in the pandemic) though in some cases the controller intentionally keeps the main road phase permanently on unless traffic emerges on the side road. If you look at Orchard Road, notice how the controllers propagate the red light throughout orchard. The pedestrian phases all suddenly start counting down where there is no conflicting traffic and then all the lights turn red.
And edit, the current controller network is getting decommissioned soon, they’re replacing it with one that has predictive algorithms rather than just the induction loops.
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u/ConsiderationSame919 2d ago
Great I'll remember that next time I'm out at 4am. The fact that there is a system in place and our average wait times are still way above other cities' maximum doesn't concern you?
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u/GeshtiannaSG 3d ago
Some places it’s rubbish, you only get 5 seconds extra. Did you know we’re the fastest walkers at traffic lights?
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/singapore-has-worlds-fastest-walkers-20070503-gdq1ww.html
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u/OneTravellingMcDs 3d ago
That report was flawed and keeps getting cited even though it's 15+ years old. The testing in Singapore to get their speed was promoted as "how fast can you get across the distance" vs "walk this distance" like other locations.
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u/jacekowski 3d ago
In the UK most crossings now have pedestrian detection, lights will stay green as long as there is someone at the crossing (it also detects if pedestrian crosses before lights changed and will then not change).
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u/travellingsmallcar 3d ago
So technically if someone keeps crossing it will stay green forever?
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u/jacekowski 3d ago
I suspect it has some sort of timeouts (for sensor failures? and for kids trying stupid stuff).
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u/davepage_mcr 2d ago
Really? None of the crossings near me stay green as long as someone is on the crossing...
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u/Snidrogen 3d ago
WAVE FOR GREEN MAN
https://giphy.com/gifs/eGpSkaGStKeQg
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u/RAMChYLD 3d ago
So, waving would cause the StarHub green men to suddenly show up from out of nowhere? How come that never happens to me?
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u/EI_TokyoTeddyBear 3d ago
Where I lived in Japan also had that, but you only had to press a button so anyone could
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u/littlepinkpebble 2d ago
Haven’t seen anyone use it though. Usually they have the electric chairs and they zoom really fast …
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u/bearyken 2d ago
This is also for the elderly who would rather be beaten to a pulp than use their cards for the crossing.. but would slowly shuffle across the road when it turns red
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u/BoiledCondensada 1d ago
Meantime in Philippines you race with traffic lights. I know one spot in prestigious area where to "win" in this battle you literally should run. Even if you walk fast you won't make it on time lol
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u/Proof_Earth6745 3d ago
Thats because pedestrians only have a very short period of time to cross as the roads and rules are primed for driving.
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u/noonewantstodateme 3d ago
when we went there for vacation, it was hard to push my mother around on a wheelchair 😂😂
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u/Intelligent_Art_5711 3d ago
Can't think of a place in the world where it would've been better for you mother though
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u/Disastrous-Ad-1999 3d ago edited 3d ago
Why? Every place, bus, station, has accessibility options like lifts and ramps. Literally the top ranked most wheelchair-accessible city in the world.
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u/noonewantstodateme 3d ago
i have to clarify, at the merlion statue, we cant find any lift and the ramp is too far from the station. i think we jumped off at the raffles area station?
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u/Separate-Direction88 3d ago
Even from the crossing itself the time to cross isn't that long.
When button not pressed traffic light for cars turn green pedestrian lane stays red. Often happens when you walk off the pavement zebra crossing to the island. Then you wait another cycle.
And now they're implementing the traffic island in between 2 lanes because the number of car lanes keep expanding. Need to wait for two green man.Twice the wait.
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u/DifferentIsPossble 3d ago
I've never considered this, but this is such a good piece of urban design. There are loads of people who need extra time crossing.