LTA mulls ERP at KPE tunnel after Tampines Road towards city
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is evaluating whether to introduce Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) at the entrance of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) tunnel heading towards the city in a bid to ease traffic congestion.
The KPE is a major expressway used by residents of the north-eastern part of Singapore, including towns like Sengkang and Punggol, to get to the city.
In a news release on Friday (Sep 30), LTA noted that traffic speeds along the stretch of KPE between the Tampines Expressway and Airport Road have "persistently fallen below the optimal speed range" of 45km/h to 65km/h for expressways during the morning peak hours on weekdays. This has led to "significant and persistent traffic congestion", it said.
To mitigate the congestion, the authority said it is evaluating whether to activate the existing ERP gantry situated just before the KPE tunnel entrance after the Tampines Road entry slip road.
LTA noted that it has been improving public transport options to cater to the growing population in the north-east area of Singapore and encourage public transport usage.
For example, it said that residents in Punggol are currently served by City Direct Service 666, which brings them directly to and from the Central Business District during morning and evening peak periods.
Two new City Direct bus services, under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme, will also be introduced from the fourth quarter of 2016 to serve those living in Buangkok, Sengkang and Hougang, the authority said.
In addition, LTA revealed that 15 new trains have been recently added to the North East Line. "This will help reduce crowding and shorten wait times, especially during peak periods," it said.
In the longer term, the North East Line extension to Punggol North, and the Cross Island Line (CRL), will provide more direct connections across the eastern and western parts of Singapore. LTA said this would significantly reduce shorten journey times to other parts of the island.
- CNA/dt/ek