SINGAPORE — To further enhance road safety within school zones, the speed limit along roads fronting 10 selected primary schools will be lowered to 40kmh during school operating hours from the first quarter of next year.

The new speed limit is part of a “toolkit” of six road safety initiatives that will be implemented in a pilot programme by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at these schools before they are extended to other schools progressively.

Most school zones have a maximum speed limit of 50kmh.

A 40kmh speed limit sign and a “When Lights Flash” supplementary sign will be introduced near school crossings. During school hours, two amber lights will flash alternately to alert motorists who must reduce their speed to 40kmh. The speed limit reverts to the existing one when the lights stop flashing.

Currently, drivers who exceed school zone speed limits are slapped with four demerit points and fined between S$130 and S$160.

The initiatives were announced by Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim yesterday when he visited Shuqun Primary School, one of the schools in the pilot programme.

The 10 primary schools were selected based on their geometry, the type of roads fronting the schools and the type of pedestrian crossings outside the schools.

The changes came after the LTA reviewed the School Zone scheme to enhance its road safety initiatives.

“On reviewing it, we realised we can do better and further enhance the safety of school zones,” said Dr Faishal, who also chairs the Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Committee.

Other road safety initiatives include more road humps and centre dividers to slow down traffic.

Not all initiatives will be implemented at every selected school and the LTA will customise them according to the site layout outside the schools.

The new measures will also add to existing ones, which were closely developed by the LTA, the Ministry of Education and the Traffic Police.

Yesterday, the LTA also announced the introduction of “School Zone” signs at some primary schools, which will be extended to secondary schools from the second quarter of next year and be fully implemented by the end of 2015.

The authority said future plans may include the roll-out of other initiatives in the heartlands to protect elderly pedestrians.

Schools in the pilot programme:

Shuqun Primary School, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, Canberra Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School, North Spring Primary School, Ngee Ann Primary School, Townsville Primary School, St. Margaret’s Primary School, Gan Eng Seng Primary School, and Ang Mo Kio Primary School.