SINGAPORE, Jan 13 — Authorities said Singapore’s Traffic Priority System has recorded more than 2,500 activations so far, cutting average emergency ambulance conveyance times by up to one minute and 57 seconds for each activation.
In a Facebook post today, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said the system was first introduced at selected junctions near Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in July 2024 and expanded last year to seven other public hospitals.
Co-developed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Land Transport Authority and HTX, the system relies on a transponder installed in the ambulance that triggers nearby traffic lights, fast-tracking its movement through junctions near hospitals.
Normal traffic operations resume once the ambulance has passed.
The authorities said they will continue reviewing and expanding the system to other suitable locations to improve response times for life-threatening emergencies.
Singapore’s The Straits Times reported that medical experts said seconds can make the difference between life and death in certain emergencies.
Thomson Medical Urgent Care Centre emergency medicine specialist Dr Sanjeev Shanker said delays in reaching hospital increase the risk of permanent organ damage or death, citing conditions such as cardiac arrest, heart attacks, strokes, trauma and seizures.
