River Valley residents call for road safety measures after 4-year-old girl died in accident

SINGAPORE: Residents living in the River Valley area have called for speed humps and other safety measures to be installed along Institution Hill, a 150m stretch of road, after a four-year-old girl died in a traffic accident.

Zara Mei Orlic was walking home from school with her two-year-old sister and her family's Indonesian domestic worker Lily at about 5pm last Tuesday (Jan 23) when a car turning in from a street corner knocked her down.

TODAY spoke with 11 residents in the area who said that the stretch can sometimes be dangerous because there is a bend and a "steep" incline, where vehicles might travel fast.

Ms Tianne Wu, a 38-year-old research manager who is a resident at Aspen Heights condominium, said that she "just wrote to the Land Transport Authority”, expressing her hope that the area would be more “pedestrian safe”. 

“I never thought that much about it, but it is pretty dangerous because (drivers) are not mindful when pedestrians are crossing the road.”

She had observed that once residents exited the condominium in their cars, they would “zoom” downhill.

“(LTA) can add things like a zebra crossing or speed bumps,” she added.

A small condominium complex, Aspen LinQ, with 18 units, as well as a much bigger complex, Aspen Heights, with 606 units, sit on Institution Hill.

At the foot of the road is the campus of Dimensions International College, an international school.

When TODAY visited Institution Hill on Monday, there were construction works happening towards the end of the cul-de-sac, with heavy vehicles such as trucks and lorries constantly going up and down the hill.

Media reports on the accident said that domestic worker Lily was saddled with school bags and holding on to the hand of Zara’s younger sister when Zara was hit.

The girls' father, Dr Nick Orlic, a senior lecturer at Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School, said that he was at home when he received a call from his maid about the accident and he had rushed to the scene.

Ms Anusha Charles, a 27-year-old art teacher who holds classes at Aspen Heights and has taught Zara in several classes, said: “There's no pedestrian crossing over here. It's just a road.

“I don't think cars go as slowly as they should go.”

The police said that a 40-year-old woman has been arrested under suspicion of careless driving causing death.

WHAT OTHER RESIDENTS SAY 

Some long-time residents from Institution Hill said that the accident was the first fatal one they have seen, but they agreed that something should be done to slow cars down. 

Ms Dolly Hardjono, 37, said: “I think it is best to have some speed bumps along this road. It's mostly families who live here and there are many children who walk up and down this road.”

The operational director, who sometimes drives down Institution Hill, said that because of the bend, there is a blind spot as drivers go down the hill. 

She also said that it might be difficult for drivers to see pedestrians crossing at those bends, especially if they dash across the road. 

Ms Sarah McGann, a 37-year-old sales manager who moved into Aspen Heights in June last year, said: “It’s a busy road and there's no proper crossing. There's just cars flying up and down here.”

Ms Joan Pereira, the Member of Parliament for the area, said that she has relayed feedback and suggestions from residents, who have asked for speed humps or regulating strips along the stretch of road, to the authorities.

"Given that the topography of River Valley Road is winding in nature, over the years the LTA has taken action to install additional traffic lights at several spots to deal with the blind spots," she said in response to queries from TODAY.

"For some of the winding and sloping roads like Institution Hill that branch out from River Valley Road, the authorities have been assessing the feasibility of installing speed humps or regulating strips. 

"I understand from the authorities that there are safety considerations and any measure taken will need to take into account and address these risks."

She urged both drivers and pedestrians to always be on the alert and to adopt safe practices.

Mr Sunny, a 43-year-old who wanted to be known only by his first name, said that he has not seen any accidents in his four years of living here, though he takes extra care to cross this stretch of road. 

The chemical engineer said that he makes it a point to cross the road only when he reaches the end of Institution Hill, given the bend of the road.

“Speed bumps would take care of it. Because then, as a driver, you have to slow down. Once you slow down, then both drivers and pedestrians can see each other,” he added.

This article was originally published in TODAY.