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SINGAPORE: Congestion on Singapore's roads has renewed calls for more aggressive measures to curb the vehicle population.
One solution is to have zero vehicular growth, a point raised by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong at a dialogue with grassroots leaders recently.
Observers said implementing such a move is imminent as Singapore roads are nearing maximum capacity.
Singapore's vehicle population has grown to about one million. With limited land, vehicle growth rate has been set at 1.5% for the next two years.
But, is this sustainable?
Dr Lim Wee Kiak, chairman of Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said: "We should maintain our current fleet of vehicles, not to increase further. Perhaps, given a chance, Ministry of Transport should consider a reduction in vehicle number rather than (an) increase.
"We are looking at a reduction in growth, but what I will like to see is to reach the zero (growth) faster. In Parliament, we have been pushing for some sort of a zero growth, if not, even a negative growth to counteract the excess over the last few years.
"They should release (fewer) COEs compared to the number of vehicles taken off the roads so that there is actually a reduction in the number of vehicles in Singapore."
The reduction in COEs will mean higher car prices. Is this likely to get more people on public transport?
"I will still strive to get a car, even if the price is high," said a member of the public.
"I still want to own a car," said another.
"If you are holding a certain position, you may need it (car) for the image," said a third.
"I will give up my car, if the transport in Singapore is able to achieve the coverage.....(such that) we can go anywhere conveniently," said a fourth.
Such reasons are why many say aggressive measures are needed to convince people to take public transport.
One suggestion has been for public transport operators to offer fare discounts for travel during off-peak hours, as this is likely to tackle the problem of overcrowding in trains.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak said that with discounts, more people would consider spreading out their travel. "So there would be spaces for everyone," he said.
Buses must also become a more reliable alternative, said Associate Professor Lee Der Horng from the Department of Civil Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
He said: "We must take some very aggressive approach. What we have to do is, other than the MRT, we have to pay more attention to the buses.
"Can we provide more full-day bus lanes? Can we give higher priority to public transportation vehicle like the bus? Can we improve the level of bus service, have cleaner buses, newer buses, faster buses, safer and more comfortable (bus travel)?"
Meanwhile, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will conduct a review in 2012 to determine an allowable vehicular growth rate. It also said that even if the growth rate is reduced to zero, there will still be a need for usage measures to effectively manage demand for roads.
- CNA/ir
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