CENTRAL PLANNING that micro-manages every aspect of the Lives of Citizens can only result in FAILURES.
This approach has been the hallmark of this Singapore Government, and it is not surprising that the LTA and Traffic Police will dogmatically DICTATE - the driving habits on the roads and expressways in Singapore - by setting speed limits; and creating situations that does not fulfill the purpose of the original designs of the roads and expressways.
In most countries, roads and expressways are designed to bring people from one place to another in the quickest time and safest manner.
Has the same objectives been met with the designs and management of our roads and expressways ?
Roads and Highways are the connecting life lines of Singapore's Economic and Social bodies, and instead of assisting Singaporeans to use the roadways and expressways to achieve Economic and Social 'excellence, the Government, the Traffic Police, and the LTA seems to have created obstacles to impede these goals from being achieved.
Can Singapore achieve its present economic status if every road user had observed the Traffic Speed Limit of 70kmh on most roads in Singapore; and the other Speed Limits of 80kmh and 90kmh on Expressways ?
With such UNREALISTIC speed limits, the Government, the Traffic Police and the LTA has created and made CRIMINALS out of all the Singapore Drivers and Riders on Singapore roads - who can be seen to be travelling at speeds that are exceeding the Stated Speed Limits by over 10kmh to 20kmh.
Everyone is driving at 80kmh along various sections on the Bukit Timah and Upper Bukit Timah Roads, Thomson and Upper Thomson Roads, Serangoon and Upper Serangoon Roads, Nichol Highway, Shenton Way, Keppel Road, Mountbatten Road, Paya Lebar Road - and the Speed Limit is from 50kmh to 70kmh.
Along the PIE, ECP, AYE, CTE, TPE, SLE, BKE, and KJE - although the speed limits are set at 80kmh and 90kmh, many drivers can be seen to be driving at speeds of 90kmh (at the 80kmh sections), and speeds of 100kmh and more at the stretches of the expressways with a speed limit of 90kmh !!!
What is the monthly incidence of major and minor accidents along such roads and expressways ? When compared with the daily volume of traffic that is handled, are such incidents below the average for such heavily used roadways and expressways found in the 'FIRST WORLD' ?
Accidents are always shocking and heart breaking, but what are the causes of the accidents ?
Accidents are not always the result of 'over speeding' - as these can also be attributed to the manner in which driving skills are poorly developed and taught; and some of our Singapore roads/expressways are designed and built to cause accidents.
Singapore Drivers are taught the basic of driving, and given a year probation before being confirmed a 'permanent' licence; and yet some 'newbies' have abstained from driving during the first year - so as to 'pass safely' through the probation period, then head back to driving school for familiarisation before venturing further.
ADVANCE DRIVING SKILL is not further taught to new drivers - in handling speeds and skids, cornering, approaching and exiting a bend on the road or expressways.
Most of the Drivers of 'AUTOMATIC' cars are not informed that when driving at speed around the bend, they will need to MANUALLY SLOW DOWN the car by either stepping the brakes, or MANUALLY SHIFT DOWN - from 'D' to '3' or '2' position on the gear shift.
The Automatic Car DO NOT shift down automatically and DO NOT sense the car negotiating a bend; and neither can any Auto-car sense trouble going round the bend - (the poor design of a road bend is another subject, see below).
The materials used for road surface on some sections of Singapore roads are questionable. Most of the paintwork - that marked the lanes - will become invisible with the rain (and becomes worst when it happens at night).
The manner in which the roads are designed and built have caused drivers to 'fight against natural forces, especially at road curves when the road is sloping or banking away from the apex of the curve, and not allowing the road user to bank 'naturally into the curve'.
To those who are uninitiated and unfamiliar with 'high speed' driving, such curves and roads - that embank into the wrong directions - are death traps.
Putting up speed cameras does not help to prevent speeding, but will merely cause traffic bottle necks to occur at about 1 kilometer before the camera location, and the vehicles will gather speed again about 100 meters after passing the cameras.
Road disciplines are poorly enforced on Singapore roads and expressways, when slower drivers (trucks, vans, cars, motorcyles) are hogging the fast lane and also the middle lane of most major roads and expressways.
Instead of maintaining lane discipline, how many times have we seen the 'Motorbike Cops' enjoying the privilege of high speed - as if to catch some imaginary person some 3 kilometers ahead (as if he could keep the party within sight ) ?
It seems that LTA and the Traffic Cops are obssessed with controlling speed limits, to the extent that they will forget about lane discipline and the road conditions of the various vehicles on the road.
How many vehicles have we seen on Singapore roads that have no red tail lights, one or both head lamps blinked out. signal indicators that do not work ?
The Ministry of Transport, LTA, Traffic Police and the R.O.V. should all work out a system that MAXIMISE the use of Expressways and Roadways.
They should allow vehicles to move at the 'maximum' safest speed at the DIFFERENT HOURS of the day or night, and allow the Driver's judgment of the road conditions to move at a speed higher then the speed limit - and hold him responsible for any consequences of his decision.
They should consider making it an offense for any lead car to be permanently in that position - in front of a column of cars - for longer then 3 kilometers.
This will force 'road hogs' - who believe that they are within the speed limit, and allow them to hold the lead position and obstruct other road users - who may make risky moves out of frustration .
In this manner the Government and its agencies will not make CRIMINALS out of the larger numbers of the Singapore Road Users, who cannot possibly follow the Speed Limits that are UNREALISTICALLY SET for cars that are designed in the 1950s through the 1970s.