Dunearn Road ERP vs NUS Bukit Timah Campus peak hour surcharge

Motorists driving past Dunearn Road, take note!

I know most of you are irritated by the Dunearn Road ERP gantry which charges between 50 cents and $1 on weekdays between 8am and 9am. It is not expensive, but little amounts do add up.

As such, some motorists who wish to save on the ERP charges do not mind a longer route via NUS Bukit Timah car park to bypass the Dunearn Road ERP. Even though NUS charges a parking rate is $0.02 per minute (i.e. $1.20 per hour), they offer a grace period of 15 minutes. Effectively, motorists are not charged any amount since they time lapse between entry and exit is much less than that, so motorists are using the bypass for free (please refer to map below).

Legend: Direct route (blue) Bypass route (orange)

Things will change from 20 August 2007 (Monday) onwards.

To deter bypass traffic which is adding unnecessary traffic to NUS Bukit Timah, a $1 surcharge will be imposed for vehicles entering Bukit Timah Campus via Kheam Hock Road and exiting via Evans/Cluny Road during weekdays 8am to 9am. The surcharge rate is comparable to Dunearn Road ERP, if not more expensive. As such, the shortcut will not be attractive anymore.

Time Period	via Dunearn Road (blue route)	via NUS Bukit Timah (orange route)
0800 to 0830	$0.50	$1.00
0830 to 0855	$1.00	$1.00
0855 to 0900	$0.50	$1.00

Motorists, get ready for a more congested Dunearn Road.

Implementation of $1 Peak Hour Charge (For Non-Season Parking Holders)
With effect from Monday, 20 August 2007, National University of Singapore (NUS) and National Parks Board (NParks) will be implementing a peak hour charge on all passing vehicles that enter from Kheam Hock Road and exit at Evans/Cluny Road during the peak hour of 8am to 9am.

Peak Hour Charge
A $1 peak hour charge is applicable from 8am to 9am on Mon to Fri (except public holidays) for vehicles entering Bukit Timah Campus and exiting via Evans/Cluny Road.

There will be no change in parking rates. Please refer to the following for more information.

• For Public
• For Staff and Students
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Source: NUS Office of Estate and Development (23 July 2007)

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Trivia of the month:
This is not the first time that an ERP loop hole is plugged by artificially marking up the parking charge. Can you give details of other similar instance(s)?

A mystery prize in the form of a memorabilia will be given to the fastest reader who gives the most accurate and comprehensive answer. To participate, please input your answer in the comment and supply your email (for notification purpose if you win). Closing date: 17 August 2007, 2359.

Answers and results will be announced in sgtransport.blogspot.com on 20 August 2007 (Monday).

Trivia of the month (Results):

Alas! No one attempted to win the prize, though some readers answered through informal channel (i.e. other than posting a comment on this blog). As such, no one is a winner of the memorabilia. It'll roll over to the next trivia of the month (probably with increased value).

The answer that I had in mind is the Handy Rd ERP. After Cathay Building restoration was completed and opened to public, some motorists attempted to avoid the Handy Rd ERP gantry along Orchard Road by using the carpark as a bypass (very similar to NUS Bukit Timah carpark problem). If you study their carpark rate, Cathay management filter out such bypass traffic by tweaking the parking charges as well.

The moral of the story? Erecting more ugly gantry and place them at strategic locations will solve the problem, albeit at a very high cost.

Do you guys have any other answers?