SG: FEATURE: A 21st century wonder on the card
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Insight: Down South by Seah Chiang Nee
_________________________________________________________________
BY 2010, small speedy light transit trains and computer-directed buses
will disgorge hundreds of thousands of commuters at covered linkways
to catch the main MRT to work.
No one will live farther than 400m to a rail station. Buses and taxis
will be managed or directed by computers.
Intelligent traffic lights will turn green automatically when they
spot a bus approaching to give it priority over other vehicles.
A S$4.8 billion network of underground roads will run under the
central part of the city.
All this is part of a S$20-billion land transport system that was
unveiled a day after New Year's Day when Singapore was classified as a
developed nation.
To be built gradually over 15 years, this 21st century wonder will see
a doubling of the main MRT from 67km to 160km, making it comparable to
those in London, Paris or Tokyo.
The plans are contained in a 64-page White Paper titled A World-class
Land Transport System which will be debated at Parliament's next
sitting middle of this month.
The rail network can link up directly with Malaysia's proposed
high-speed electric train, allowing people to travel comfortably to
and from Kuala Lumpur -- and later Thailand.
By then, use of public transport will have increased from 51 per cent
(of all motorised trips) to 75 per cent like in Zurich, Switzerland.
Who will pay for all this? Singaporeans must share the costs within a
"partnership" with the Government, the Paper says. Without this social
contract, it won't work.
The news sound distinctly bad for the private car and the taxi,
considered as uneconomic users of scarce land.
The number of cars people can buy will not be cut but increased to
meet young Singaporeans' aspirations to own them. Car ownership will,
in fact, increase from one in 10 people to one in seven.
But by next year owners will have to pay for the use of driving on the
road -- electronically.
Payment will depend on when and where they're driving. The central
business district at peak hours is the costliest. The costs drop as
they move away -- and at night.
One of the aims of the package is to stop the Singaporean's love
affair with his car.
"Singaporeans will continue to want to own cars," laments the White
Paper. Those who have them use them heavily. The average mileage of a
Singapore car is among -- if not -- the highest in the world.
The motorist here rationalises that since he has invested so much in
it he may as well use it to the maximum to derive the most benefit
from it.
His annual mileage, for instance, is about 18,600km compared to
10,000km for the Japanese driver.
The electronic road-pricing scheme is the only way to influence the
extent and time of day that motorists drive and the routes they use.
Railway: This will comprise the main MRT and a cluster of light rail
transits (LRTs) ringing housing estates and office blocks and linking
them to it.
The MRT's north-east line is likely to be built earlier.
An LRT system is being studied for two separate public housing
estates. Also being studied is how to put an LRT to serve Orchard
Road, Bras Basah and Marina South area.
A light transit is less costly than the MRT and takes half the time,
three to four years, to build. It can provide feeder service for the
MRT, and serve corridors with enough users or where local congestion
is serious.
Buses: They will remain the basic form of transport and will enjoy
priority over cars. More express buses and more feeder services are
promised.
Bus operators will use satellite technology to check exactly where
their buses are. If a bus is running late, the company can send spare
buses or ask for priority at traffic lights.
Stations will provide computerised information on arrival times. They
will also be fitted with fans, water-coolers, telephones and
dispensing machines.
Taxis: Under the system, taxi fares are likely to be the most
affected. They will become less rigid and uniform.
At present it is difficult to find a cab at peak hours and during
festive seasons. At off-peak times, taxis cruise about looking for
passengers.
In future, fares will be made flexible according to supply and demand.
The way the White Paper emphasises the fares here being the cheapest
among developed cities is a sure sign that they will rise -- maybe by
a lot.
The average taxi cruises empty for 35 to 40 per cent of the time,
adding to congestion. To cut down on cruising, electronic road pricing
will charge taxis using the roads.
Taxis will be encouraged to wait at stands to be called. New
computerised dial-a-cab systems will allow commuters to call and get
quick service.
But arguments that taxis in Singapore are cheap runs counter to public
views surveyed recently by the Chinese language Lianhe Zaobao.
About 65 per cent of commuters say fares are expensive. One out of
three say they are reasonable and only one person agree with the
government that they're cheap.
But Singaporeans have generally given public transport -- MRT, buses
and taxis -- a thumbs-up. Two out of three of 538 commuters found them
"good" while 33 per cent said it was average and one per cent rated it
as "poor".
A big chunk will be spent on road-building. An underground road system
is being considered in the city.
Costing S$4.8 billion, it will add 40 per cent more road capacity so
that 40 per cent more cars can use the city in future. If approved, it
will be built over 15 years.
Over the next five years, the Land Transport Authority will spend
S$1.1 billion to expand road network, including three or four-tier
road junctions.
Being classified as a developed nation is giving Prime Minister Goh
Chok Tong a major headache. Young Singaporeans, already a grouchy lot,
are likely to want more from life.
Singapore has become the world's eighth richest nation in per capita
terms with an average of US$24,000 a year.
The graduation, considered premature here, is given by the
Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is
unlikely to have much effect on its economy.
But it is sure to raise local expectations especially for better
quality services, including health, housing, transport and leisure.
For Goh, meeting them is an endless and growing battle.
Seah Chiang Nee is a freelance writer and the former editor of
Singapore Monitor