In the article “Floor Lights Help 'Smartphone Zombies' Keep Eye on the Road”, Tan (2017) reports that Land Transport Authority (LTA) has installed LED strips in pavements to help pedestrians be more aware of their surroundings when crossing the road. The initiative could be useful in combatting the rise in pedestrians who are always looking at their mobile devices. Tan highlighted statistics provided by the Traffic Police showing that there was a 5.4% increase in traffic accidents involving pedestrians as compared to 2015. These LED strips are placed on trial at areas with high pedestrian activity to determine its effectiveness in raising awareness of road safety. It will also light up like the traditional traffic lights, providing a sense of familiarity to the pedestrians.
While the implementation of LED strips may help to raise awareness of road safety, LTA failed to discuss the problems that may be faced.

The implementation of LED strips may encourage pedestrians to think that it is fine to cross the road while using their phones and rely on the lights to help them. Instead of encouraging such behaviour, LTA should be discouraging it. These pedestrians are setting a bad example to kids, letting them think that it is fine to cross the road without looking. Even though the green man on the traffic light is for pedestrians to cross, one must still ensure that vehicles have stopped before crossing. A green man does not mean that it is completely safe for pedestrians to cross. Sometimes, drivers may be the one at fault, such as those who drink and drive or those who drive too fast and lose control. For instance, in an article posted by The Straits Times, a girl who was crossing the road with eyes glued to her phone was knocked down by a car which was making a turn, even though the green man was in favour of the pedestrian.

Even though LED is supposed to be bright and luminous, the ones placed on trial are not noticeable in the daytime, especially during the noon when the sun is very strong. An article posted by TODAY conducted an interview whereby only 4 out of 23 pedestrians stated that they noticed the LED strips. Even though one interviewee was looking in the direction of the strip, he still did not notice it as the colour does not show.

In conclusion, the LED strips is a good initiative to help raise awareness of road safety. However, LTA could take further initiatives like holding campaigns or conducting road safety workshops for pedestrians to raise awareness.

Summary Draft 1: Smartphone Zombies

In the article “Floor Lights Help 'Smartphone Zombies' Keep Eye on the Road”, Tan (2017) reports that Land Transport Authority (LTA) has installed LED strips in pavements to help pedestrians be more aware of their surroundings when crossing the road. The initiative could be useful in combatting the rise in pedestrians who are always looking at their mobile devices. Tan highlighted statistics provided by the Traffic Police showing that there was a 5.4% increase in traffic accidents involving pedestrians as compared to 2015. These LED strips are placed on trial at areas with high pedestrian activity to determine its effectiveness in raising awareness for road safety. It will also light up like the traditional traffic lights, providing a sense of familiarity to the pedestrians. While the article did mention about a rise in traffic accidents involving pedestrians, the author did not provide concrete evidence that smartphone usage is directly responsible for the increase. Hence, more research should be conducted to conclude if “smartphone zombies” are the primary cause of such accidents.

Self Introduction

Dear Professor Blackstone

My name is Glenna and I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic this year with a diploma in hotel and leisure facilities management. During my course of studies and internship, I realised the importance of facilities management to the built environment, which sparked my interest in this area. Hence, I decided to further my studies in the Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) programme offered by Singapore Institute of Technology.

My strength in communication is listening, be it verbally or non-verbally through body languages. As an introvert, I find it easier to listen to people’s opinions than to share my own. By listening, I am able to focus on what people are trying to say, allowing me to understand their situation or behaviour, and sometimes gain new perspectives. This is especially so in an argument when the other party just wants to get their point across and does not care about what I have to say. Besides that, listening is also a good way to build rapport with my friends or colleagues as it helps to establish good interpersonal relationships.

On the other hand, my weakness which I am working on is that I am weak at holding conversations with new people. I am generally a very quiet person when I first meet someone. In my past experiences, being a quiet person, especially in a workplace, is not a good thing as I do not dare to ask questions and my presence is sometimes not known. Hence, during my last job, I took the opportunity to improve by initiating conversations with my colleagues and asking questions, which minimised my mistakes and also improved my efficiency. Even though I have improved from the past, I am still quite shy around new people. However, I try my best to start initiating conversations instead of hiding. In addition to being weak at holding conversations, I also have difficulties trying to convey my thoughts into words as I am not strong in my English language.

Effective communication is a beneficial skill which can always be improved. In this module, I hope to become a more confident speaker and possess the ability to communicate effectively with people. I look forward to learning more in the coming classes.

Thank you.

Best Regards
Glenna Woo
SIE2016 Group 5

Edited:
17 September 2017
18 September 2017
25 September 2017


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