Many rides, one fare? LTA's brainstorming sessions throw up multiple routes to a better transport network Leong Wee Keat
[email protected]Fancy paying a flat fee as you hop from buses to trains to get from Ang Mo Kio to Clementi? That could be a reality, if the Government takes up a suggestion mooted to make public transport more attractive to Singaporeans.
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The flat fee — or through fare — allows commuters to make multiple transfers between buses and trains, saving travel time and cost.
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Describing it as a suggestion "to be considered", Minister of State for Transport Lim Hwee Hua said a "multi-pronged approach" is needed in the ongoing land transport review, in which the Transport Ministry and the Land Transport Authority have organised brain-storming sessions to elicit suggestions.
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And ideas, ranging from the routine to the radical, have poured in from various stakeholders, including mem- bers of the public, over the past two months.
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Some suggested raising Electronic Road Pricing surcharges further to ease congestion in the city, while others wanted the Government to build a brand-new expressway over the current Central Expressway.
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On the latter, Ms Lim cautioned against building more roads to accommodate the projected 6.5 million population.
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Ms Lim said the review "still has a few more months to go" and that all the feedback obtained will be looked into.
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More roads, she said, would create "a latent demand", especially in city areas. Roads may seem congestion-free at first — and this may lead to even more cars using them. This will, in the end, create further congestion, she said at the wrap-up session yesterday.
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Associate Professor K Raguraman, an expert on transport policy at the National University of Singapore, agreed with Ms Lim. "Building more roads will only serve a small target group," he said.
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Instead, Assoc Prof Raguraman suggested that more rail lines be laid. He cited Hong Kong and Seoul, where the high public transport usage has led to a developed train network that is the preferred mode of transport.
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Last night, participants also debated the vehicle growth rate — which has been 3 per cent annually for the past 10 years.
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Dr Paul Barter, an expert on public transport at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, previously suggested that a Certificate of Entitlement should expire when a vehicle clocks a certain mileage, rather than when it is 10 years old. People would then drive judiciously and minimise congestion, he said.
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Others said taxes for car owners should be revised. Rather than paying a flat road tax, car owners should be taxed according to mileage, they argued. Taxes should also be increased for those who own second or third cars.
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Perennial complaints of long waiting times for buses and taxis also cropped up. Mrs Lim said the review will examine the allocation of resources during peak periods.
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But she disagreed that taxis should pay lower ERP charges. Taxis, she said, are similar to cars as they, too, contribute to congestion. Instead, taxi fares and surcharges can be raised to reduce the demand for them during peak periods, she added.
LTA's brainstorming sessions throw up multiple routes to a better transport network