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SINGAPORE : Commuting is almost a way of life, with four million trips are made daily on the public transport system.
And the Land Transport Authority (LTA) wants to change the way we travel, with a comprehensive review due by the end of 2007.
This is a follow up to the White Paper on Land Transport - the government's blueprint for a world-class road and rail system released in 1996.
Buying and using a car come at a price in Singapore.
Still, the car population grew by some 10 percent between 1997 and 2004.
There are about 780,000 vehicles plying the Singapore streets and most of them are used intensively - with the daily number of trips increasing by 23 percent.
In contrast, the proportion of trips taken on public transport dipped from 67 percent to 63 percent over the same period. And this is something the authorities want to address in the review.
"For a start, we will have to reverse the trend of declining public transport modal share, and over time, we aim to raise it. Our focus would be on the morning peak period, where we target to increase the public transport model share of 63 percent to at least 70 percent over the next 10 to 15 years," says Transport Minister Raymond Lim.
"(We hope) to achieve a high quality and sustainable land transport system that is able to handle a significantly larger population base with greater economic, business and tourism activities
in tandem with Singapore's next phase of development."
With competing demand for limited land, the government has put the brakes on car ownership and its usage.
In the last 15 years, the vehicle population grew at 2.3% per year while roads grew at 1% annually.
But annual road growth is expected to be halved in the next 15 years. Currently, 12% of land is used for transport, 12% for industry and 15% for housing.
This is done through measures like Electronic Road Pricing and quotas on cars.
But analysts say these may not be enough in the long run.
"We need to focus on improving all the alternatives to public transport. This alternative package of public transport includes cooperating with taxis, car share, car rental, bicycle industry and town councils to make the pedestrian environment attractive for walking and cycling," says transport analyst Dr Paul Barter with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Analysts say the Singapore public transport system is still some way from being world-class.
A main issue is to cut waiting time by increasing the frequency of public transport services significantly.
The train network also needs to be expanded.
"When you do this, (extending) some of the lines to the more remote areas even though you may not have sufficient rider-ship for that line, but taking the system as a whole, so long as there is profit to the operator, those lines can be sustained," says transport analyst Prof K. Raguraman at NUS.
Another suggestion is to open up the transport market to more players the way Hong Kong has, by allowing operators to tender for routes as well as mini buses to serve specific areas.
Government Parliamentary Committee chairman for transport Cedric Foo hopes the authorities can work with city planners to integrate amenities within the heartlands so as to reduce the need for travel.
Also on the wish list are ways to tackle road safety and pollution control.
Another aspect of the review is to add more "human touch" in transport planning. This includes making buses more wheelchair accessible as well as upgrading bus stops and road kerbs to make them more elderly friendly.
The Land Transport Authority says it will consult stakeholders and the public on the review. - CNA /ls
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