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SINGAPORE: With Singapore projecting a future population of 6.5 million, MPs have asked how the land transport system will cope.
MPs on Friday spoke bluntly on the transport problems already faced by the average Singaporean right now. And they fear these problems will get worse.
From 1997 to 2004, the road capacity in Singapore grew by 5% but the car population went up by 10% and daily car trips rose even more, by 23%.
This squeeze has not gone unnoticed.
Seah Kian Peng, MP for Marine Parade GRC, said: "Another friend who just came back from Australia, having spent three years there, said, 'Suddenly, I felt everywhere was so crowded! MRT is so full, even at 7am. And the roads are jammed with cars, even late at night at 7pm'."
MP Seng Han Thong zoomed in on drivers' main frustration when ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) increases are used to manage congestion.
"I hope it will make ERP more effective rather than make it more expensive," he said.
And now, with higher population figures projected, the GPC Chairman for Transport mirrored the concerns - in and outside the House.
"For this to happen without Singapore roads ending up in gridlocks, we need a major revamp of our land transport infrastructure. At the moment, we have more questions than answers," said Cedric Foo, GPC Chairman for Transport and MP for West Coast GRC.
Addressing the MPs' concerns, Transport Minister Raymond Lim agreed that we could not keep putting cars on the road.
Mr Lim said: "If we continue to allow 3% annual growth, our current vehicle population of 800,000 would increase by about 50% to about 1.2 million by 2020. It is clear that the current 3% annual growth rate cannot be maintained indefinitely, given our land constraint and a slower pace of road-building as Singapore becomes more built-up."
So that rate would be reviewed next year, he added.
More importantly, he said, public transport would have to become more attractive and usage increased.
"As part of our long-term planning for a future Singapore of 6.5 million population, we expect that we will need to at least double our current rail network of 138 km for a 50% increase in population," he said.
That means putting in the equivalent of at least seven North-East Lines, starting perhaps with a new 33-station Downtown Line.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is completing its feasibility studies for this new Line that will link the eastern and north-western corridors to the Marina Bay.
Improving bus services is another big area.
Already, full-day bus lanes are being expanded to give more buses more priority on the roads.
The LTA will also roll out a system to display real-time bus information at selected bus-stops.
The trial will begin in the middle of this year.
A similar trial by the LTA ended in 2003 due to technological constraints and cost.
The display of real-time bus information at bus-stops will complement similar services provided by SBS Transit, but through mobile phones and its website.
TransitLink will also develop an electronic bus journey planner so that commuters can figure out how to get from Point A to Point B.
These measures go to the heart of commuters' top grouses - which are long waiting times at bus-stops and being unable to predict their travel times.
If these measures can be coupled with smoother flow on the road for buses, it would go a long way towards improving the overall quality of a bus journey. - CNA/ir
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