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SINGAPORE: It was Day One of higher ERP charges for vehicles going into the Central Business District (CBD) and Orchard Road.
The Land Transport Authority has said the higher charges, mostly double the old rates, are meant to manage traffic flow.
However for many motorists, the new rates - which started on July 7 - could not have come at a worse time, given that fuel prices have also risen in tandem.
Our reporter Imelda Saad travelled with 30-year-old sales executive Tan Chee Kheong on the first day of the higher ERP charges.
In just half an hour, they passed not one, not two, but five gantries.
And that's not counting the S$7.50 Tan already paid to get into the CBD for work in the morning and to meet our reporter in the afternoon.
Tan is resigned to the fact that he now has to fork out about S$300 to S$400 a month in ERP charges. He has no choice, as his work requires him to travel in and out of the CBD.
Tan said the ERP charges are literally eating into his salary despite his company increasing his transport allowance by S$150 a month.
Motorists Channel NewsAsia spoke with also questioned the rationale for imposing higher ERP charges within the CBD during the day.
"I just don't understand why they have to increase the charges during the noon time when the traffic is not really that high," said a motorist.
True enough, as our reporter found out, it was a relatively smooth journey going from the CBD to Orchard Road and back.
A cabbie, who did not want to be seen on camera, said the higher rates will further deter taxies from going into the CBD area.
Some motorists said a better way to manage traffic flow is to improve road infrastructure and limit vehicle population growth.
Meanwhile, along the Singapore River area, five new gantries were also activated on Monday, charging evening ERP rates. The LTA said this is to reduce cross-traffic flow from one side of the city to the other.
For motorists, the latest rate revisions and the addition of new gantries will not be the end of ERP woes.
In November, more ERP gantries will be operational along expressways and arterial roads.
And when the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway is fully operational, new gantries will also be put up there, adding to the 60 or so already operational islandwide. - CNA/ir
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