4 ms·

How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? The reason I ask is that neither are as safe as driving here in the US which i consider a major blocke

by mrep 9y ago

How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? The reason I ask is that neither are as safe as driving here in the US which i consider a major blocker in the public transportation utopia people keep dreaming up. Relevant discussion I have had about this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16462803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16462803

ecshafer 9y ago
The reason public transport and walking can be unsafe is the us has deliberate policies making it so. We have more police presence on roads, and less on transport. We have urban design explicitly supporting the car, with human unfriendly design. Look at how many roads have no side walks or bike paths. A 1 mile journey in many areas is unsafe without a car. We need a massive rethink of how we design cities, and there are issues at all levels of government. Federal government tax incentives favor single family detached homes, and Grant money goes towards expanding infrastructure in an unsustainable and unsafe manner.
aqme28 9y ago
I have a hard time believing that public transportation or walking are more dangerous than driving in the US or elsewhere. Do you have any statistics on walking or public transit safety? I couldnt find any, though car safety is very accessible. edit: It seems the vast majority of pedestrian accidents are because of collisions with cars. In a future with more public transport and walking, they will be even safer.
- mrep 9y ago
  I should have clarified that the safety I am referring to is from other people in the form of harassment and assaults.
vadimberman 9y ago
> How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? Extremely safe. Even the whiniest people in Singapore (and that's a high bar to clear) will never say that Singapore is unsafe. Once in a while I see videos of cars not stopping in front of a pedestrian crossing. These posts result in a universal condemnation. Also note that the UK-style pedestrian crossings include a buffer space next to the actual crossing. In terms of public transportation, you have the subway (MRT), the light rail (LRT), and the buses. All new, and most of the MRT plus LRT are automated. Additional aspect is drink-driving. The alcohol is also heavily taxed (almost Demolition Man style: "x is not good for you. What's not good for you is illegal") and the way the government views drugs is clarified in the disembarkation cards saying "Death to drug traffickers" (and they actually mean it), and with the combination of high availability of public transport complemented with cheap taxis / ride-sharing and low availability of intoxicating the DUI is pretty much non-existent. In the US, the sidewalks are scarce in many places. But that's pretty unique, you don't need to go to Singapore to see streets with normal sidewalks.

by mrep 9y ago

ecshafer 9y ago

The reason public transport and walking can be unsafe is the us has deliberate policies making it so. We have more police presence on roads, and less on transport. We have urban design explicitly supporting the car, with human unfriendly design. Look at how many roads have no side walks or bike paths. A 1 mile journey in many areas is unsafe without a car. We need a massive rethink of how we design cities, and there are issues at all levels of government. Federal government tax incentives favor single family detached homes, and Grant money goes towards expanding infrastructure in an unsustainable and unsafe manner.

aqme28 9y ago

I have a hard time believing that public transportation or walking are more dangerous than driving in the US or elsewhere. Do you have any statistics on walking or public transit safety? I couldnt find any, though car safety is very accessible. edit: It seems the vast majority of pedestrian accidents are because of collisions with cars. In a future with more public transport and walking, they will be even safer.

mrep 9y ago
I should have clarified that the safety I am referring to is from other people in the form of harassment and assaults.

vadimberman 9y ago

> How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? Extremely safe. Even the whiniest people in Singapore (and that's a high bar to clear) will never say that Singapore is unsafe. Once in a while I see videos of cars not stopping in front of a pedestrian crossing. These posts result in a universal condemnation. Also note that the UK-style pedestrian crossings include a buffer space next to the actual crossing. In terms of public transportation, you have the subway (MRT), the light rail (LRT), and the buses. All new, and most of the MRT plus LRT are automated. Additional aspect is drink-driving. The alcohol is also heavily taxed (almost Demolition Man style: "x is not good for you. What's not good for you is illegal") and the way the government views drugs is clarified in the disembarkation cards saying "Death to drug traffickers" (and they actually mean it), and with the combination of high availability of public transport complemented with cheap taxis / ride-sharing and low availability of intoxicating the DUI is pretty much non-existent. In the US, the sidewalks are scarce in many places. But that's pretty unique, you don't need to go to Singapore to see streets with normal sidewalks.