The tireless road safety warrior

69-year-old has spent three decades making roads here less dangerous
By JALELAH ABU BAKER THE green man which tells pedestrians when to walk, and even the road shelters which let motorcyclists get out of the rain: Mr Gopinath Menon, one of Singapores longest road safety champions, is the man to thank for them. For 31 years, the 69-year-old transportation engineer has been involved in making roads here safer, first with the Public Works Department starting in 1972, and then with the Land Transport Authority, which he left in 2003. Even in semi-retirement now, traffic and safety remain a big part of his life in the office and out. He is an adjunct professor at the Nanyang Technological University, where he teaches transportation engineering modules which include safety on roads. At dinner parties, he will check with his drinking friends on whether they are driving home, and advise them against it, even if it earns him a spoilsport jibe. And when he is being driven by his children, they are not allowed to use their mobile phones, even when the vehicle is stationary. They always complain that I am a backseat driver, said Mr Menon, who has two daughters and a son. His first brush with road safety was when he was just 16 and studying in Victoria School. He was chosen to represent his school on the Junior Safety First Council. His job then was to spread safety information to the rest of the school but he did not know it would become his lifelong career. Mr Menon discovered his passion for road safety when he started working, after graduating as a civil engineer from the University of Malaya. The biggest change he spearheaded in Singapore was the introduction in 1976 of the green and red man to guide pedestrians. In those days, people had to judge when it was best to cross and dash across the street. The lights were only for vehicles. His other works include introducing designated rain shelters for motorcyclists to wait out the rain. Previously, they had to stay under flyovers, running the risk of being hit by other vehicles. Even those aluminium barriers which are used in expressway exit dividers and when work is being done on expressways were his idea. The barriers collapse on impact, reducing damage to vehicles and the chance of injuries during a collision. He was also the project director of the Electronic Road Pricing system, which was introduced in 1998 to manage road congestion. But Mr Menon modestly points out that all these initiatives would not have borne fruit without the work of many others. Over the years, much has changed about road safety here. In the past, drinking and driving was seen as macho, but it is not now. Thats a good change, he said, although he pointed out that the use of mobile phones while driving has become an increasingly common habit. Roads are also more congested now, with drivers getting increasingly impatient, he said. The safety of Singapores roads came under the spotlight this year with high-profile accidents including the death, in February, of two young brothers in Tampines after they were run over by a cement mixer. A woman also died after being hit by an SBS Transit bus in Clementi in April. He said: I become extremely upset when I see boards appealing for information about fatal accidents. But he takes heart that the traffic situation here is improving. Traffic Police statistics showed fewer accidents and fatalities last year compared to 2011. Said Mr Menon, who is the vice-chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council, which

Mr Gopinath Menon was responsible for the introduction of designated rain shelters for motorcyclists and the aluminium barriers at expressway exits which collapse on impact, reducing damage to vehicles and the chance of injury. He notes that the use of mobile phones while driving is on the rise. ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
spreads good safety practices among road users: People think: It cannot happen to me, it can only happen to others. That has to change. The road is a very hostile environment. Mr Menon himself has been driving for 50 years, and said he has had only two or three accidents, although he pointed out that he did not cause them. His Mazda is now used only twice a week as he mostly travels on public transport to and from his home in Siglap. Aside from the convenience and not facing the hassle of parking, using public transport gives him a chance to see how well it is working. He is after all a member of the Public Transport Council, which regulates the bus and train services here, along with their fares. As far as Mr Menon is concerned, the system here is good enough, although not perfect, given recent breakdowns. But safety always comes first for him. Asked why he chose to get involved in traffic safety so many years ago, he said: Its meaningful trying to save lives. jalmsab@sph.com.sg

COMPLACENT
People think: It cannot happen to me, it can only happen to others. That has to change. The road is a very hostile environment.
Mr Gopinath Menon, who is also the vice-chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council, which spreads good safety practices among road users

CONCERNED
I become extremely upset when I see those boards appealing for information about fatal accidents.
Mr Menon, who takes heart that the traffic situation here is improving