As Singapore celebrates its 50th anniversary, Channel NewsAsia explores how its road signs have evolved over the years.
By Janice Lim, Channel NewsAsia, 5 May 2015
By Janice Lim, Channel NewsAsia, 5 May 2015
Motorists trying to find the exit on an expressway or the next available U-turn may not realise that the precision of the lettering, size and colour of the road signs has to keep to standard dimensions laid out by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), with the aim of ensuring the signs are more visible to road users.
However, it was not always this strict.
"Way back, we already have simple traffic signs that mainly remind motorists to stop at junctions and where, certain warnings given to motorists which are very basic,” shared Dr Chuai Chip Tiong, director of Traffic and Intelligent Transport Systems Operations at LTA.
Subsequently, Singapore adopted the United Nations Protocol on Road Signs and Signals as part of an international effort to bring about a uniform road signalling system, but it also adapted to the specific needs of its road users.
Said Dr Chuai: “In Singapore, even though we do follow in general this set of requirements, we have to customise it to fit our local condition. We created Silver Zone that comes with corresponding signs. We have signs that remind motorists to slow down when they are coming to a school zone. So these are some of the signs that are made locally."
Another major revamp occurred in the early 2000s, when LTA changed street name signs from black and white to the current green and white.
No more black and white: Watch how Singapore's road signs have evolved. http://cna.asia/1cfLaAl
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Monday, May 4, 2015
Said Dr Chuai: “In Singapore, even though we do follow in general this set of requirements, we have to customise it to fit our local condition. We created Silver Zone that comes with corresponding signs. We have signs that remind motorists to slow down when they are coming to a school zone. So these are some of the signs that are made locally."
Another major revamp occurred in the early 2000s, when LTA changed street name signs from black and white to the current green and white.
“There was a need to make our signs more readable,” Dr Chuai revealed. “And readable not only by the font, by the wordings, but also make it more reflective. And even have the effect of illumination at night when you have your headlights on. Because there was better technology in terms of the retro-reflectivity sheeting and we think that it is important for us to adopt whatever new signage technology that there is."
WHERE ARE THE BLACK AND WHITE SIGNS NOW?
WHERE ARE THE BLACK AND WHITE SIGNS NOW?
While many of the black and white signs were disposed off, two of them are nicely tucked away in the comfort of Ms Margaret Thomas' home. Ms Thomas is the daughter of Mr Francis Thomas, once a housemaster, teacher and eventually principal of St Andrew’s School.
She shared: “My father was an Englishman who came to Singapore after Cambridge in the 1930s, loved the place, stayed, was a teacher at St Andrew's, and prisoner of war during the Japanese Occupation. He went to Japan and worked in factories there as a prisoner.
"He came back to Singapore after the war, Second World War, returned to St Andrew's and was housemaster of the boarding house, which is where he met my mother. He also became principal in 1963 until the mid-1970s when he retired. He died in 1977, he was only 65. When the school created an internal road in the 1980s, they decided to name it after him."
Ms Thomas did the obvious when LTA organised an auction of the black and white street signs in 2003.
"When I knew that they were going to auction off these road signs, I thought ‘ok great!’, I will go and try and get the sign,” she said. “I managed to get on my own, Eng Neo Avenue. That is not named after my mother. But my mother's name was Eng Neo. So I thought it will be nice since I have got my father's sign, to have a road sign that appears to be named after my mother. "
WHO MAKES THE ROAD SIGNS?
As for who makes the road signs, that job falls to LTA's many contractors. They replace defective ones as well as create new ones. The technology too, has evolved.
Director of Signmechanic Mr Kelvin Tan said: “In the olden days, they used a local grade material, where they need a big machine to fabricate, where the turnaround time probably will take a longer time. Nowadays, they have changed the technology with a better reflective, using a press roller type, which is able to do fabrication with a shorter time, it is cut down by half.
"In the olden days, we did the casting footing on-site. Nowadays, we do a fabrication within the yard, so safety can be taken care, timeline can be taken care of."
And the country's road signs are continuing to evolve as technology changes. The latest to hit the roads are variable message signs. Unlike static road signs, these signs can change their message depending on traffic conditions and come with additional colours and graphics.