More full day bus lanes from 2 June 2008

As promised by the Minister for Transport in his Land Transport Review announcement in Jan 2008, full day bus lanes will be expanded to more locations in Jun 2008.

A map summary of the different implementation phases of the full day bus lanes is shown below. Please click on the link to view the expanded map which include more details. LTA's news release on the same subject is also appended below.

Interestingly there was no mention of the "trebling of full-day-bus-lanes from 7km to 23km" as mentioned in the Land Transport Review. Suspecting something is amiss, I did some measurement. The result? The expanded scheme to be implemented in Jun 2008 is at most 15km, which is no where near the promised trebling. Please correct me if I'm wrong. :)

View Larger Map

LTA Extends Bus Lane Scheme to Improve Travel
Experience for Bus Commuters

1. From 2 June 2008, full-day bus lanes will be extended to 11 new locations in the CBD, with the aim of ensuring that buses will be able to give commuters a faster and smoother journey with less interruption on the road.

2. Surveys conducted showed that the most important aspects of the bus journey for commuters are waiting time and travelling time. As buses are more efficient carriers of commuters, with a higher number of passengers per unit road space as compared to other vehicles such as cars, it is necessary to give priority to buses so that more commuters reach their destinations on time.

3. Since the implementation of the full-day bus lane scheme in Orchard Road in 2005 average bus speeds have improved, with non-peak bus speeds increasing by 10% on weekdays, and 23% on Saturdays.

4. Along the 5 stretches in the city at Eu Tong Sen Street, Somerset Road, Victoria Street, Hill Street and Bras Basah Road where full day bus lanes were implemented in 2007, we have seen improvement in bus speeds by as much as about 12%.

5. Feedback received from bus commuters and bus captains also show that they have experienced faster bus journeys on stretches with dedicated bus lanes.

6. The improved bus travelling speeds help make the bus commute a more attractive and pleasant option and encourages more commuters to take public transport.

7. The full-day bus lane scheme operates from 7.30am to 8pm on all weekdays and Saturdays, except public holidays.

8. Please refer to Annex A for the full list of roads that the full-day bus lane scheme is extended to.

On-board Bus Lane Enforcement Video Cameras

9. To ensure that the bus lane scheme remain effective in improving travel time for buses, LTA will be introducing the use of on-board bus lane enforcement cameras from 2 June onwards.

10. Ninety buses across 12 SBS Transit bus services that ply along routes with bus lanes will be fitted with video cameras which will be used to record bus lane infringements. The cameras will work in tandem with the current warden scheme and ensure that bus lanes remain clear during operating hours.

11. This system requires little intervention by the driver as the video is set to continuously monitor the road in front of the bus. The video camera also allows LTA officers to assess the circumstances more accurately if motorists are caught on video infringing bus lanes.

12. LTA will review the use of cameras and extend them to more bus services, if they prove to be effective in keeping the bus lanes clear for bus travel.

13. Motorists who infringe bus lanes are liable to a fine of $130. No demerit points will be imposed on the driver.

14. "To make public transport a competitive option to the car, we must continue to improve the travel experience of public transport commuters. We want to encourage more people to choose public transport as a travel mode during peak hours to reduce congestion on the roads. Thus, we hope motorists will appreciate and understand the rationale behind our measures and help us give priority to buses," said Mr Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, Land Transport Authority.

ANNEX A

Locations of New Full-Day Bus Lanes in the CBD from 2 June 2008

Road Name	Start	End
Collyer Quay	Fullerton Rd	Marina Blvd
Fullerton Rd	Esplanade Dr	Collyer Quay
Grange Rd	Somerset Rd	Devonshire Rd
Shenton Way	Boon Tat St	Maxwell Rd
Robinson Rd	Maxwell Rd	Finlayson Green
Bencoolen St	Rochor Rd	Bras Basah Rd
Hill St	Stamford Rd	River Valley Rd
New Bridge Rd	River Valley Rd	Upp Cross St
North Bridge Rd	Rochor Rd	Parliament Place
South Bridge Rd	Circular Rd	Cross St
Victoria St	Rochor Rd	Stamford Rd

Source: LTA, 15 May 2008

New ERP gantries: Part II

I noticed that lately there has been a spike in my readership, with the bulk of the readers visiting via search terms like "new erp gantries", "new erp charges" etc. As such, this post is dedicated to you who are searching for more information on the 16 new ERP gantries mentioned by Minister Raymond Lim in Land Transport Review Part 3.

The locations of the new ERP gantries are all summarised in the map below. For better viewing experience, I would strongly encourage you to click here for bigger map and better interactivity (yes, you can zoom in and out of the bigger map by using the scroll wheel). The pins denote the exact locations of the ERP gantries. The colour code of the pins is as follows:

• Blue pins: Operates from 5 Nov 07 (implemented)
• Red pins: Operates from 7 Apr 08
• Green pins: Operates from 7 Jul 08
• Purple pins: Operates from 3 Nov 08

In addition, the map also outlines the boundaries of the newly demarcated ERP cordon area Bugis-Marina Centre Cordon, which is a new area carved out from the existing CBD so that differential ERP rates can be applied to this area to better regulate through-traffic.

View Larger Map

If you are keen to read the full LTA's press release on the new ERP gantries, please read on (also available here).

Measures To Manage Road Usage

1. As announced by Mr Raymond Lim, the Minister for Transport, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be making changes to the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system to enhance its effectiveness in managing traffic congestion on the roads. With the changes, a total of 16 new ERP gantries will be activated this year, and this includes the 5 gantries which were announced in August 2007 last year but have not been activated.

2. The ERP changes will be phased in gradually, starting with the Central Business District (CBD) and Orchard Cordons in July 2008. This is to give time for motorists to adjust their travel plans and allow for the impact of the changes in the CBD and Orchard Cordon to work its way through the rest of the road network.

3. The enhancements to the ERP system, the implementation of new ERP gantries and how the new ERP criteria will take effect are outlined below.

Enhancements to the ERP System

4. The ERP system has essentially remained unchanged since its introduction in 1998. As traffic volumes today are far different from a decade ago, enhancements are necessary to ensure the ERP system’s effectiveness. As part of the Land Transport Review, the LTA has studied and reviewed the matter carefully, and will be implementing the following changes to enhance the ERP system from July 2008:

a. Use the 85th Percentile Speed Measurement Method

The current threshold speeds (45 km/h on expressways and 20 km/h on arterial roads) were set 10 years ago. Today, the threshold speeds are close to the point where traffic flow can deteriorate rapidly into the unstable zone where ‘stop-start’ conditions become common. In order to create a buffer, LTA will use a more representative method of measuring actual traffic conditions for ERP rate reviews, with speeds determined using the 85th percentile speed measurement method, instead of using average speeds as is done currently. The 85th percentile speed measurement method is also an international traffic engineering practice for assessing traffic conditions. With the revised speed measurement method, motorists will be assured of smooth travel on ERP-priced roads at least 85% of the time;

b. Increase the Initial ERP Charge and Rate Increment
Motorists today are less sensitive to the rate structure which has remained unchanged since 1998. For ERP charges to remain effective in influencing motorists’ behaviour, LTA will raise the incremental ERP charge from $0.50 to $1. In addition, the ERP base charge, which is the starting charge for a new ERP gantry point, will be increased from the current $1 to $2. These changes will improve the effectiveness of the ERP system, so that each time ERP rates are adjusted, motorists who still choose to drive on these roads would see a visible improvement in traffic flows.

c. Manage Congestion in the City Area

To address the congestion in the city area, LTA will introduce the Singapore River Line, comprising 5 new ERP gantries that run roughly along the Singapore River to discourage through traffic from using the city for outbound trips, and Saturday traffic.

New ERP Gantries

5. LTA has been monitoring traffic conditions closely on the roads, and has assessed that 16 new ERP gantries are necessary to help manage congestion at the identified locations. The LTA will phase in the implementation of the 16 gantries as shown below.

April 2008 – Operation of 5 gantries that were announced in Aug 2007
6. In August 2007, LTA had announced that ERP gantries would be installed at 5 locations, namely (i) Upper Bukit Timah Road ; (ii) Toa Payoh Lorong 6; (iii) Upper Boon Keng Road; (iv) Geylang Bahru Road ; and (v) Kallang Bahru Road . These gantries would be activated only when traffic speeds fall below the optimal speed range. LTA has been monitoring the traffic conditions at these 5 locations closely, and has established that traffic speeds on all 5 roads have fallen below the optimal speed threshold based on the current speed criteria [1].

7. Therefore, LTA will be activating these gantries from 7 April 2008. The operating hours of these 5 gantries will be from 7.30am to 9.30am. Please refer to Annex A for the location and ERP rates of these gantries.

July 2008 – Operation of 5 new gantries along the Singapore River in the CBD
8. The five gantries on the Singapore River Line will run roughly along the Singapore River from Clemenceau Ave to Fullerton Road, separating the commercial and shopping areas such as the Suntec area from the office-based areas such as Shenton Way/Robinson Road . These 5 gantries serve to reduce through traffic from using the city area for outbound trips in the evening, similar in concept to the Orchard Cordon where ERP was implemented to reduce through-traffic which would otherwise use Orchard Road to get to other areas. Traffic speeds on these roads are below the optimal speed range, based on the revised criteria.

9. To better manage the speeds within the Orchard and CBD
cordons, the ERP operation hours for the CBD will start from 7am to 8pm on weekdays. The ERP for Orchard Cordon will start from 10am to 8pm on weekdays.

10. The 5 gantries on the Singapore River Line will come into operation on 7 July 2008, and will operate from 5pm to 8pm on weekdays. Two of the new gantries – namely Eu Tong Sen Street and Fullerton Road (towards Esplanade Drive ) – will operate on Saturday from 10am to 8pm. The rate increase of $1 will be applied if the traffic conditions closer to July warrant it for each of the half-hour time slots.

11. Please refer to Annex B for the locations of these gantries.

12. On Saturdays, the gantries at Eu Tong Sen Street and Fullerton Road (towards Suntec City), together with th the existing CBD gantries north of the Singapore River Line, will help to demarcate the Bugis-Marina Centre Cordon as traffic conditions within this cordon have deteriorated below the optimal speed threshold. The Bugis-Marina Centre Cordon and the existing Orchard Cordon will operate during the same hours on Saturdays and will help in in managing g traffic in the City area on Saturdays. [Please refer to Annex C for the location of the different cordons.]

November 2008 – Operation of 6 new gantries on arterial roads and expressways
13. Based on the new ERP criteria (i.e. 85th percentile speed measurement method), traffic speeds at 6 locations on arterial roads and expressways have fallen below the optimal speed range, and ERP is needed to manage the congestion that is building up at these areas. The new gantries will operate from 3 November 2008 onwards, and they are as shown below. Please refer to Annex D for the location of the 6 new gantries.

a. 3 new gantries on roads along the Outer Cordon in the morning. LTA will be installing new gantries at the following 3 locations along the Outer Cordon to address the congestion on these roads, namely (i) Commonwealth Avenue; (ii) Jalan Bukit Merah; and (iii) Alexandra Road.

b. 2 new gantries on expressways in the morning. One gantry is along AYE (westbound), near Alexandra Road, and the other is along PIE (westbound), near Eunos.

c. New gantry on Serangoon Road in the evening. To address the congestion on Serangoon Road during the evening peak hours, LTA will be installing a gantry there.

14. The operation hours and ERP rates at each of the 6 gantries above will be determined and announced closer to their implementation in November 2008. [Please refer to Annex E for a map showing the location of the Outer Cordon.]

Implementation of New ERP Criteria and Rates on Existing ERP Gantries

15. LTA will be phasing in the implementation of the new ERP criteria and new ERP rates on existing ERP gantries to allow time for motorists to adjust their travel plans. The new criteria will first be applied to the CBD and Orchard Cordon in July 2008 before being extended to other roads progressively. This will also allow for the impact of changes in the city area to work its way through the rest of the road network. If the new ERP rates in the CBD and Orchard Cordon result in fewer motorists driving on the roads leading to the city, ERP rates need not be adjusted if speeds do not fall below the threshold speed.

16. The following is the schedule for the application of the new ERP criteria (i.e. 85th percentile speed measurement method and ERP rate increment of $1) on existing ERP gantries:

• July 2008 – to be implemented on gantries in CBD and Orchard Cordon (on weekdays) and Orchard and Marina Centre Cordon (on Saturdays).
• November 2008 – to be implemented on gantries on roads within and up to the Outer Cordon. Map showing the location of the Outer Cordon is given in Annex E.
• February 2009 – to be implemented on all gantries islandwide

17. Before the new ERP criteria is applied to the respective areas, LTA will continue with using the existing ERP criteria in the quarterly ERP rate reviews.

Conclusion

18. The main aim of the ERP changes is to keep our roads smooth flowing and ensure a high quality urban environment. We are putting a lot of effort into making public transport a viable alternative to driving and we hope that more motorists will give it a try.” said Mr Yam Ah Mee, LTA Chief Executive.

[1] Using the average speed measurement method

Source: LTA, 30 Jan 2008

Land Transport Review Part 3: Private transport (car)

The final installment of the three-part series announcement on the Land Transport Review is revealed. While the first two parts focused on public transport, the third part of the Land Transport Review touched on private transport, a.k.a. cars.

For those who are looking for earth-shattering announcement similar to those on buses and trains, you'll be disappointed. Other than some interesting quote that the US supposedly spent so much time in traffic jam that those time can filled 65 million iPod Nanos [though he didn't qualify whether those are 4GB or 8GB iPod Nanos]), the prescription to cure the illness of wasting too much time on the road due to traffic jam are just common pills that we are all familiar with: slower road expansion plan, curb car usage with more ERP coverage and higher ERP rates, while at the same time balancing those increase with lower car ownership cost, coupled with improvement in public transport. All these are reinforcement of Government has been trying to do, that is to increase car ownership but discourage peak hour travel by dangling carrot (creating a more attractive public transport) and leashing the stick (more ERP gantries and more expensive ERP rates).

As promised, the speech is summarised in the table below (click on image for clearer text). To be able to comprehend the table, please make reference to the full Minister's speech appended below (also available here).

Click here for bigger image

In what I see as an acknowledgement of why motorists have not been enjoying smooth traffic condition despite paying for ERP charges and promised by LTA that the traffic speed at the roads were "optimal", the Minister finally admitted that LTA has not been measuring the road traffic speed appropriately. As such, instead of using average speed as a measure to monitor road condition, LTA will revised their speed measurement method to using 85th percentile speed to determine whether the speed of a road has degraded to a point that necessitate the erection of a ERP gantry. The implication of this is that the bar for road speed will be raised which will leads to easier justification for more ERP gantries.

In fact, more ERP gantries is confirmed by the Minister. While putting emphasis on erecting more gantries in the city areas, some similar to the creation Orchard cordon to reduce through traffic, there are no further details as to how many more ERP gantries will be mushrooming across the city state. With so many ERP gantries coming up, the Government should rethink the way ERP is administered. What happened to the satellite-based ERP system which allows for the ugly and expensive gantries to be removed?

Not only can the satellite-based ERP system replaced the gantries, they can also revolutionarize how road tax are charged. Instead of a lump sum charged based on engine capacity, why not charge based on the distance a vehicle travelled? I see this as the most equitable way to move forward, as motorists who used the road more will be taxed more. Also, it will encourage motorists to be conscious of their route choice to opt for shortest distance. But then again, the Minister chose to shy away these topics in his review which were very much in lively debates barely a few years ago.

Lower vehicle growth rate is expected in line with lower road expansion rate. Though the North-South Expressway is welcomed (think of it as the equivalent of Thomson Line for North-South Line MRT), I foresee a fierce fight put up by people who are supportive of environment causes. Why? The expressway will most likely cut through part of the nature reserves and the fringe of the reservoirs, which will definitely draw protests from Nature Society or other environmentalists. Just like the rare bird habitats in the Seletar Expressway construction episode, be prepared to see more fights in the North-South Expressway construction.

To appease the motorists who have to take the bitter pill of more expensive road usage, the Government is committed to offer alternative. In fact, they promised that the bitter pills for road usage will not kick in until improvements to the public transport is made. This they will allow for more premium buses, higher frequencies for feeder bus services and trains, and more competition between buses and trains in mature rail lines. As a stick that whips hard on SMRT who refuses to improved their lunch time frequency, the Government will be revising the Operating Performance Standards that will stipulate train frequencies in morning peak-of-the-peak and lunch time.

With these, I end the three part series of the Land Transport Review. I thank all who have read the articles, friends who have given suggestions on improvements, and readers who have been discussing/debating on the issues raised actively.

Look out for the full report which will be released by March 2008. There will be an interesting report in it which will bound to raise eyebrows. Stay tuned.

Related articles:

• Land Transport Review Part 1: Public transport (bus)
• Land Transport Review Part 2: Public transport (rail)
• Land Transport Review Part 3: Private transport (car)
  

SPEECH BY MR RAYMOND LIM, MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND SECOND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
AT THE VISIT TO KALLANG-PAYA LEBAR EXPRESSWAY
WEDNESDAY, 30 JANUARY 2008, 10.15AM

ENSURING SMOOTH FLOWING ROADS


KPE to Open by September 2008

1. It is a pleasure to join you this morning at the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) Operations Control Centre for an update on KPE Phase 2. The KPE project team has worked very hard and made good progress. I am pleased to announce that the full KPE will be opened on 20 September 2008. With this new high speed access, northeast residents can expect travel time to the city to be cut by 25%. The KPE will also help relieve congestion on the Central Expressway (CTE).


Building Roads for the Future

2. Beyond short-term needs, our priority is to continue investing for the future. The $2.5 billion Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) is on track for completion by 2013. A key expressway supporting the development of the Marina Bay, the MCE is crucial for the long-term growth of Singapore.

3. Indeed, when it comes to investing for growth, we do not stand still. Following LTA’s studies, the Government has given the go-ahead to build the North-South Expressway or NSE by 2020 to cater to the projected growth in travel between the northern and city areas. With the 21 km-long NSE, Singapore’s 11th expressway costing $7-8 billion, residents in the north can expect travel time to the city to be cut by 30%.


Addressing Congestion Holistically

4. Besides these billion-dollar road projects, the LTA will continue to improve roads across Singapore, for example, widening the CTE and the Tampines Expressway (TPE) to increase capacity and improving interchanges such as the Woodsville Interchange to enhance connectivity and traffic flow. Likewise, intelligent transport solutions such as the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System or EMAS will be expanded to optimise the use of our roads.

5. However, increasing road capacity and deploying traffic engineering measures will not in themselves guarantee smooth flowing roads. Additional lanes and new roads attract more traffic and congestion soon returns. As a Time Magazine writer put it, “traffic is like water; it oozes across all available surface.”

6. The insatiable appetite for more cars has led to an uphill battle against gridlock in many cities. In fast growing economies like China, the car population grows at more than 20% a year and peak-hour traffic in mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai crawls at 5km an hour. In the United States, motorists spent more than 4.2 billion hours stuck in jams, enough time to fill 65 million iPod Nanos with music, and used up enough extra fuel to fill 58 supertankers. The “congestion invoice” in the US stands at some $78 billion each year while congestion costs are estimated to be about 1% of GDP in European countries such as Britain and France.

7. Singaporeans likewise desire to own cars and our policies, in particular, the use of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) to manage traffic, have made it possible for many Singaporeans to do so. And so the vehicle population has grown steadily to the 850,000 vehicles today. With rising affluence, not only are more Singaporeans owning cars, they are also using them more intensively. While the number of cars increased by 10% between 1997 and 2004, the number of car trips increased by 23%, more than double.

8. The effects are telling. Congestion levels have increased by about 25% since 1999, with more roads congested during the peak hours. A December 2007 Singapore Business Review article entitled “Gridlocked Nation” warned that “if Singapore’s growing traffic problems [were] not solved soon, the surging economy could feel the crunch.”

9. Against our ever growing appetite for car use, we are faced with the immutable realities of Singapore’s situation: a compact city state with 12% of its land already used up for roads. While we will continue to build roads like the NSE, going ahead, the pace of road expansion will have to slow down, from 1% a year over the last 15 years, to 0.5% a year over the next 15 years.

10. There are three inescapable conclusions from these observations. First, as more and more Singaporeans own cars, it is clearly not possible for all of them to drive their cars to and from work every day. The only way to move large numbers of people efficiently in our densely populated city is by public transport. It is therefore critical that we make public transport much more attractive to the vast majority of Singaporeans, including those who have access to cars.

11. Second, the trade-offs that we are faced with have become much sharper. The more cars Singa­poreans own, the more extensive ERP coverage and the higher the charges would have to be. This is the key trade-off we have to make, to maintain smooth flowing roads.

12. Third, even with more extensive ERP, the current vehicle growth rate of 3% is not sustainable, given the already large vehicle population and the slowdown in road growth. We have to lower vehicle growth.

13. These are not easy issues but we have to make these difficult decisions and act decisively to manage car growth and usage to ensure that Singaporeans will continue to enjoy a quality living environment.


(I) Improving Public Transport

14. First and foremost, we are taking major steps to make public transport a choice mode of travel. We will plan our bus and rail network as an integrated system from the commuters’ perspective, with more frequent services and seamless transfers. We will also spend billions of dollars to double our rail network, enabling many more people to benefit from fast and reliable MRT connections. These measures will transform our bus and rail services, reduce journey times and increase comfort and convenience for commuters. Beyond these, we will also make immediate improvements to public transport – both bus and rail - so that people will have a good alternative to cars. Let me begin with the buses.


Improving Bus Services

15. Long waiting times, long journey times and overcrowding are the three most common complaints amongst bus commuters. These are the same reasons that discourage more people from taking public transport today. The bus priority measures such as bus lanes which we are putting in by June 2008 will help reduce waiting and journey times. These measures will help improve average bus speeds to 20-25kph, up from today’s 16kph for feeder buses and 19kph for trunk buses. In addition, we will:

(i) Increase frequencies of basic bus services, including feeder services;

(ii) Allow basic bus services to duplicate parts of the rail network; and

(iii) Expand premium bus services to provide more choices.


Increasing Frequencies of Basic Bus Services, including Feeder Services

16. To shorten bus journey and waiting times, and reduce crowding, we will enhance the frequency of basic bus services. In particular, we will put priority on corridors affected by impending ERP expansion, where the bus operators will increase the peak period frequency of all basic bus services from 15 minutes to 12 minutes by June 2008 and 10 minutes by August 2009.

17. Many commuters use feeder bus services to connect to MRT stations and bus interchanges. To reduce their waiting time, we will increase the frequency of feeder services. Over and above the minimum frequencies which the Public Transport Council (PTC) specifies for all bus services, the PTC will also be spelling out a separate and higher Quality of Service (QoS) standard for peak hour feeder bus services. The PTC will announce changes after consultation with the public transport operators.

18. The bus operators will have to procure additional buses to run the trunk and feeder bus services at higher frequencies. As this will take time, LTA will in the interim, extend the statutory life span of existing buses to expedite implementation.


Allowing Basic Bus Services to Duplicate Parts of the Rail Network

19. Today, trunk buses are not allowed to run routes that are parallel to rail lines. This avoids wasteful duplication of resources, which would increase the overall cost of our public transport system. However, LTA has reviewed and will relax this rule for the mature rail lines, namely the North-South and East-West lines, where ridership is high and the scope for expanding rail capacity quickly is limited. From June 2008, we will allow new bus services to ply along the North-South and East West lines where there is persistent heavy passenger loading during peak hours. For example, it will now be possible to have a more direct bus that runs parallel to the North-South Line, from Ang Mo Kio to Orchard Road, compared to existing services which have more indirect routes. This would give commuters an attractive alternative to trains.


Expanding Premium Bus Services to Provide More Choices

20. We will also expand premium bus services which provide more comfortable and direct journeys. We currently have 42 services. We will work with the bus operators to increase the number to at least 72 by June 2008, putting priority on routes affected by ERP expansion. For example, premium bus services will provide direct connections from residential areas such as Katong, Holland, Bukit Timah, Choa Chu Kang, Sengkang, Tampines, and Yio Chu Kang to the Shenton Way, Robinson Road, Suntec City and Orchard Road areas. The operators will also provide return trips in the evening on high demand services.


Increasing Train Capacity

21. Even as we improve bus services, we will also increase the frequency and capacity of our trains, for a more comfortable ride.

22. I have mentioned in my earlier speech that an immediate improvement is the addition of 93 train trips a week during the morning and evening peak periods from February. For commuters, this will mean less crowded trains and a reduction in waiting time by about 10-15% during peak hours.

23. Further, as part of LTA’s effort in revising the rail Operating Performance Standards, more frequent services will be required during peak time periods. For example, commuters should only have to wait for about 2 to 3 minutes during the morning peak-of-peaks when commuter volume is highest. During the lunch period, the frequency would be improved to about 5 to 6 minutes, down from the current 7 minutes. LTA will work with the rail operators to bring about these improvements.


(II) Ensuring that ERP Remains Effective

24. Besides vastly improving public transport, we will also need to enhance our ERP system. As with putting in more roads and traffic engineering measures, simply improving public transport on its own will not solve the congestion problem. Of all the different measures to deal with congestion, ERP is the only one that addresses the problem directly by requiring individuals to take into account the costs of congestion caused by their driving to others. Many other cities are coming to the same conclusion that there is no choice but to introduce congestion charging on heavily used roads. London, Stockholm and Milan have done so and New York and Amsterdam are considering it. Without ERP, Singaporeans would be spending many hours in traffic snarls, just like people in Tokyo, Los Angeles and many other US cities, who pay for congestion, not with their wallets, but with the time that they have lost, stuck in traffic gridlock.

25. However, it is a growing challenge to keep our roads smooth flowing. On the one hand, road growth is slowing; on the other hand, we are packing more and more cars onto our roads. In the last ten years, the car population grew by almost 40%, from 370,000 in 1997 to 515,000 today Coupled with this is the fact that our cars are among the most intensively used in the world, averaging 21,000 km a year, compared to 9,100 km in London, 13,900 km in Melbourne, and 19,800 km in Chicago. Not surprisingly, all these have resulted in the crowded roads and frequent peak hour congestion that we see today.

26. Our ERP system has served us well, but it is coming under strain. We often hear feedback that ERP has not helped to ease congestion on the highest demand roads like the CTE beyond a temporary respite; that ERP rate increases have little impact on travel behaviour; and that even though people pay ERP, they still face congestion on priced roads. There is some truth in this. The reason is that rising affluence has led to a greater propensity to drive which in turn has caused a dramatic rise in traffic volumes; so much so that the scale and intensity of traffic congestion today is far different from what it was a decade ago. Increasingly, given the more pervasive congestion today, the emphasis must be on encouraging motorists to shift to public transport, rather than drive on alternative roads to their destination. This is why the Government is spending billions of dollars to improve our public transport system to make it a viable alternative to the car.

27. Further, our ERP system has essentially remained unchanged since 1998. Hence, it is critical that we review the ERP system and enhance it to better address current and future traffic conditions. As a Thomson resident told me when I visited the area recently, people are willing to pay ERP charges but they must see the benefit from it. In other words, the ERP system must be made more effective. LTA has studied the matter carefully and assessed that, to manage congestion effectively, it is necessary to make the following changes:

(i) Refine the method of measuring traffic speeds;

(ii) Update the ERP rate structure; and

(iii) Manage congestion in the city area.


Refine Method of Measuring Traffic Speeds

28. The optimal traffic speed thresholds of 45 kph on our expressways and 20 kph for arterial roads have been set to ensure smooth-flowing traffic. Yet, very often, motorists who pay ERP still find themselves getting caught in slow traffic, and even experiencing “stop-start” conditions, despite fine weather, and with no accident in sight.

29. LTA did a traffic study which found that the 45 kph and 20 kph threshold speeds which were set 10 years ago, are today close to the point where traffic flow can deteriorate very rapidly to what traffic engineers call the “unstable zone”, where “stop-start” traffic conditions become common. When this happens, all it takes is a minor disturbance in the traffic flow and the traffic speeds can drop quite sharply. This is undesirable and we need to create a buffer to ensure better traffic conditions.

30. After careful review, LTA has decided to address this problem by adopting a more representative method of measuring actual traffic conditions for ERP rate reviews, with speeds determined using the 85th percentile speed measurement method. The 85th percentile speed measurement method is also an international traffic engineering practice for assessing traffic conditions.

31. The 85th percentile speed measurement method will result in better driving conditions for more motorists than the current methodology of using the average or mean speed, as it ensures that 85% of motorists will experience speeds above the threshold. The nature of averaging is such that lower speed readings would be evened out by higher speed readings. Hence, even if the average speed on an ERP-priced road is recorded as being above the threshold, the actual speeds may well be lower than the threshold for a significant part of the time. For example, even though the average travelling speed on the PIE from 7.30 to 8 am was above 45 kph in early January this year, up to 38% of the motorists were actually travelling at speeds below 45 kph. On Thomson Road in October 2007, about half of the motorists travelled at speeds below 20 kph between 8.30-9am, even though the average speed was 20 kph. Thus, using average speeds aggravates the risk of traffic falling into the unstable zone. This also explains why there is at times a disconnect between what LTA says and motorists’ actual driving experience. LTA is correct that the average speed is above the speed thresholds but a good number of motorists are not actually experiencing such speeds.

32. Hence, LTA will no longer use average travelling speeds to determine ERP rate changes. Instead, LTA will use the speed taken at the 85th percentile level. With this change, at least 85% of motorists will be assured of smooth travel on ERP-priced roads.


Update the ERP Rate Structure

33. Traffic volumes have increased substantially in the last few years. This has resulted in the need to make more frequent rate changes on our ERP-priced roads and expressways, from 9 times in 2006 to 25 times in 2007, based on the same number of gantries. Instead of resorting to so many small adjustments, it would be more effective to make larger rate increments. Indeed, many people have commented that the 50 cents rate increment has only a temporary impact on driving behaviour as it is not significant enough to cause people to change their travel behaviour.

34. Therefore, for ERP charges to remain effective in influencing motorists’ behaviour, LTA will raise the incremental ERP charge from $0.50 to $1. In addition, the ERP base charge, which is the starting charge for a new ERP gantry point, will be increased from the current $1 to $2. These changes will improve the effectiveness of the ERP system, so that each time ERP rates are adjusted, motorists who still choose to drive on these roads would see a visible improvement in traffic flows.


Manage Congestion in the City Area

35. City traffic has been building up in the last few years. It is now much more congested in and around the city. Compared to 5 years ago, speeds on major roads in the CBD have fallen by more than 25%. For example, five years ago, a motorist crossing the city from Bugis to Chinatown in the evening enjoyed travelling speeds of 25 kph. Today, the speeds have fallen by almost 30% to 18 kph. At major cross junctions between North Bridge Road and Bras Basah Road, as well as South Bridge Road and Cross Street, the build-up of traffic has resulted in motorists having to wait for 3 or more traffic light changes before they are able to cross the junctions. We cannot let conditions deteriorate further.

36. LTA has carefully studied the traffic situation and will introduce additional ERP gantries in the city area in July 2008 to manage traffic more effectively. These gantries will run roughly along the Singapore River from Clemenceau Avenue to Fullerton Road. Their purpose is to reduce the through traffic, which currently makes up about 38% of the traffic, in this very busy area.


Phasing In the Changes

37. The revised speed measurement criteria and the new rates will be introduced from July 2008, only after the public transport improvements have been rolled out by June 2008. These public transport measures will increase rail and bus passenger capacity by 15,000 trips and 6,800 trips respectively during the morning peak hours. These are more than sufficient to cater to the 6,000 passenger car trips that LTA estimates may be affected by these ERP changes during that period.

38. LTA will phase in the ERP changes, starting with the CBD and Orchard cordons in July as the city area is a key priority. It will then extend the new criteria and rates to other roads progressively with an additional 6 new gantries put up to deal with peak hour congestion in November. This is to give time for people to adjust their travel plans and allow for the impact of changes in the city area to work its way through the rest of the road network. Hence, if as a result of the new ERP rates in the city area, fewer motorists drive on the arterial roads and expressways leading to the city, we may not need to adjust the ERP rates even with the new criteria. LTA will give more details of the new ERP gantries later.


Vehicle Ownership Taxes to be Lowered

39. With all these changes to the ERP system, the expected increase in ERP revenue will be about $70 million a year. In line with our policy to shift progressively towards taxing on the basis of vehicle usage rather than ownership, the Government will reduce road tax by 15% for all vehicles, including taxis. I urge taxi operators to pass on the savings to taxi drivers. This permanent road tax reduction will cost the Government about $110 million annually. It underlines the point that the higher ERP charge is to address congestion and is not a revenue raising measure. If motorists were to drive less, the Government would be happy to collect less ERP revenue.

40. In addition, to lower the upfront cost of car ownership, we will also reduce the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) for cars, lowering the rates from 110% of Open Market Value (OMV) to 100% of OMV with effect from March 2008. The Government will collect about $200 million less annually.


(III) Lower Vehicle Growth Rate

41. Besides enhancing the effectiveness of ERP, we will also need to lower the vehicle growth rate.

42. Every weekday morning and evening, we feel the impact of our 850,000-strong vehicle population on the roads. When I go to dialogue sessions, I often get questions like “Don’t you think there are too many cars on the roads?” People tell me that it is not just the city areas that are getting congested but also suburban areas like Serangoon and Thomson, which they say get chock-a-block full of cars in the evenings. One of the reasons for this increasing congestion is that in applying a 3% growth rate to the current vehicle population base, we have been adding 25,000 vehicles onto the roads each year, compared to 16,000 vehicles back in 1990 when the Vehicle Quota System was introduced. If we continue at a 3% growth rate, we would have enough vehicles, packed bumper to bumper, to turn our entire road network into a giant car park in the not too distant future. If we take into account that road growth will go down to 0.5% a year, then clearly, the 3% vehicle growth rate is no longer tenable.

43. We will, therefore, lower the vehicle population growth rate from the current 3% to 1.5% from Quota Year 2009 (beginning in May 2009). We will review the growth rate after 3 years, and assess then whether a further reduction is necessary, in light of the slowdown in road growth.


Conclusion – Moving A Nation

44. Quite a number of people have suggested to me that I should just focus on improving the public transport system and leave these tough car demand measures to the future. They argue that since we are making such significant improvements to our public transport system, this should be sufficient to deal with our congestion problems. I wish it were so. But unfortunately, I know that it is not the case. The reason is that even if we free up some roads because some motorists decide to switch to public transport, other motorists will soon take their place, attracted by the smooth flowing traffic and very soon, these roads will again be congested. So improving public transport is necessary but not sufficient in itself to deal with congestion. We need both – public transport improvements and congestion measures.

45. There is always a tension between the individual’s personal interest in wanting unrestrained driving and the social goal of a liveable city. We have to decide whether as a people, we are willing to take hard decisions that will benefit our country; or whether, we will, like many other cities, postpone the necessary, store up the trouble and suffer future gridlock, with the attendant costs to the economy and living environment.

46. So we must move – building up our public transport so that people will have a viable alternative to the car and taking firm steps to curb excessive car travel demand, so that all of us will enjoy a quality urban environment now and into the future.

Source: Ministry of Transport, 30 January 2008

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New ERP gantries

[Note: If you're looking for locations of the 16 new ERP gantries as announced in the Land Transport Review, please refer to this latest post instead.]

More ERP gantries coming your way on 1 Nov 2007 onwards. In summary, the changes are:

• South-bound CTE: Operational hours extended from 7:30am - 9:30am to 7am - 11am on weekdays
• North-bound CTE (before PIE): New gantry charging from 5:30pm - 10:30pm on weekdays
• East-bound CTE: Two new gantries charging from 6pm - 8pm on weekdays. One gantry is placed before the Rochor Road exit and another at the Ophir Road slip road.
• South-bound BKE (before PIE): New gantry 7:30am - 9am on weekdays

[Post-note: The 4 ERP gantries mentioned above are denoted by blue pins. The rest of the pins are the location of the new 16 ERP gantries that was announced in the Land Transport Review Part 3. ]

View Larger Map

Expanding ERP Coverage To Better Manage Congestion

1. Traffic congestion affects the quality of life and the environment as well as the overall efficiency and productivity of the economy. The LTA adopts a holistic and multi-pronged approach to deal with congestion in a sustainable manner. These include promoting the use of public transport, moderating vehicle growth, and using Electronic Road Pricing (ERP).

2. The ERP is a key tool for managing congestion, by maintaining traffic flow within the optimal speed range of 45 to 65 kilometres per hour on expressways and 20 to 30 kilometres per hour on arterial roads. The ERP seeks to achieve relatively smooth flowing roads by encouraging motorists to consciously plan their trips via different routes or consider public transport alternatives. As demand for travel increases due to factors such as population and economic growth, the ERP has to be continually reviewed for effectiveness, to take into account dynamic traffic conditions.

3. The LTA has completed its review of traffic conditions on the roads and will be extending the coverage of ERP at the following locations. The changes take effect from 1 November 2007.

South-bound Central Expressway (CTE): Extension of Morning ERP Hours

4. Currently, ERP is in operation on the south-bound CTE from 7.30am to 9.30am during weekdays. The ERP has been effective in keeping traffic congestion in check during this period. However, outside the current ERP operating hours, traffic speeds have consistently fallen below the optimal speed range on the stretch between Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 and Braddell Road.

5. To improve traffic speeds, the charging hours at the ERP gantry between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Braddell Road will be extended to operate from 7am to 11am on weekdays.

6. There will be no changes in the operating hours (7.30am to 9.30am) of the other three ERP gantries along south-bound CTE (between Braddell Road and PIE; and Serangoon and Balestier Slip Roads). This is because the speeds along this CTE stretch between Braddell Road and PIE remain within the optimal speed range.

North-bound Central Expressway (CTE): New Gantry with Extended Evening ERP Hours

7. The implementation of evening ERP on the north-bound CTE since August 2005 has helped to improve travel speeds on the CTE north of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) exit. However, the average traffic speeds on the stretch from Bukit Timah to just before the PIE exit have consistently fallen below the optimal speed range due to the high volume of traffic from the city exiting to the PIE.

8. To manage congestion along this stretch, a new ERP gantry will be erected along the north-bound CTE just before the PIE exit. The charging hours at this gantry will be between 5.30 pm and 10.30 pm on weekdays. The charging hours reflect the period during which congestion is experienced on this stretch of the CTE.

Evening ERP on East-bound East Coast Parkway (ECP): New Gantries for Evening ERP Charging

9. The high traffic volume along the east-bound ECP between 6pm and 8pm on weekdays has led to traffic congestion occurring between Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) and Fort Road exit of east-bound ECP.

10. In March 2007, LTA had provided an additional lane in each direction of the ECP between Fort Road and Marina South to help alleviate the congestion. Despite this, traffic speeds continue to remain below the optimal speed range.

11. To manage the congestion, ERP will be implemented on the east-bound ECP from 6pm to 8pm during weekdays. An ERP gantry will be erected at each of the two accesses into the east-bound ECP from the city and the AYE, namely, (i) before the Rochor Road exit and (ii) at the Ophir Road slip road.

South-bound Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE): New Gantry for Morning ERP Charging

12. Average traffic speeds on the BKE have deteriorated below the optimal speed range on weekdays. A new ERP gantry will be erected after the Dairy Farm exit, before the BKE joins the PIE, to help manage the traffic congestion there. The operating hours for this gantry will be from 7.30am to 9am during weekdays.

Installation of Other Gantries Which Will Not Be Activated Until Speeds Fall Below Optimal Speed Range

South-bound Upper Bukit Timah Road: New Gantry

13. With the introduction of a new gantry at the south-bound BKE, traffic at Upper Bukit Timah Road may deteriorate as traffic decants from the BKE. Hence, an ERP gantry will be erected along the south-bound Upper Bukit Timah Road after Hume Avenue to allow us to address congestion in a timely manner if it were to build up. This gantry will only be activated when congestion builds up and traffic conditions warrant the implementation of ERP.

14. LTA will give prior notice before levying any ERP charge at this gantry.

Outer Cordon: New ERP Gantries

15. In May 1999, LTA announced that the ERP system would be progressively expanded beyond the Restricted Zone (RZ) to relieve traffic congestion along roads in the Outer Cordon area under Phase 2 of the ERP plan. The aim is to relieve congestion in the Outer Cordon area by forming a cordon covering the radial roads leading into the city around the RZ.

16. On 6 September 1999, LTA implemented seven gantries in the Outer Cordon and the Central Expressway under ERP Phase 2A, and announced that the remaining Phase 2 gantries would be implemented as and when traffic conditions warrant it.

17. There are 10 locations remaining in the Outer Cordon where ERP has not been implemented. LTA has been monitoring traffic conditions on these roads very closely and anticipates that traffic speeds may deteriorate below the optimal speed range at four of the locations.

18. To enable LTA to be more timely in managing traffic congestion on these roads, LTA will be installing gantries at these four locations, namely Toa Payoh Lorong 6, Upper Boon Keng Road, Kallang Bahru Road and Geylang Bahru Road. ERP charging will be activated only when traffic conditions deteriorate and warrant the implementation of ERP. LTA will continue to monitor the traffic conditions at the remaining six locations.

19. LTA will give prior notice before implementing ERP charging at these gantries.

Enclosures:

Annex A - ERP charges at new gantries/extended hours of operation
Annex B - Summary of implementation dates for ERP 2007 (including KPE)
Annex C - Location maps of gantries (with dates of implementation for gantries operating in 2007)
Annex D - Location map of ERP Outer Cordon gantries

Source: LTA (23 August 2007)

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?

A story of an old Angsana tree

Photo source: TODAY

Since antiquity, there is an old Angsana tree in Singapore. It is a valuable tree. So valuable that it has earned itself immunity: it was ruled that the tree is not to be chopped down if it is in the way of construction; instead it will be moved and transplanted under the guidelines issued by the authority overseeing trees.

This old and valuable tree sits in the middle of Braddell Road, overlooking Raffles Junior College. Many years have passed and the surroundings have morphed many changes, but the old tree remains just as it was fifty years ago. It still sits faithfully on its spot and continues to provide its service and shade to the people who reciprocated with much love and appreciation.

However, things took a twist of turns a few years back.

The traffic authority decided one day that a new viaduct connecting Lornie Road and Braddell Road would be necessary to alleviate the perennial traffic congestion (it was part of the Outer Ring Road System actually). Unfortunately the old Angsana tree sits right at the centre of the road diversion arising from the new viaduct. The construction company lamented at how ‘suay’ (colloquial slang which means ‘unfortunate’) it is. Already faced with rising construction costs, it needs to cough up another huge sum of money to transplant the tree under authority’s guidelines.

Then came along a brilliant idea. Why not get the authority that oversees tree to waive the requirement? That is, to chop the tree down. Nope, not successful.

Then came another brilliant idea. Why not a fork road (technically known as bifurcated road)? The traffic can go round the tree. Eureka! The tree is saved, traffic flow resumes, everybody is happy. This is not new in Singapore: there is also a forked road at North Buona Vista Road that goes around a MRT column due to Circle Line construction.

After numerous attempts to convince the traffic authority that safety would not be compromised, the forked-road scheme finally got the blessing to go ahead. It is not a cheap sum mind you. It is a whopping $200K. But considering how much moving a tree would cost, this sum pales in comparison.

And so everybody is happy. The authority looking after the trees is happy that the tree gets to survive; while the authority overseeing traffic is happy that it is paying a lesser sum for variable order (a technical term in construction that refers to any contingency work that went beyond the contract agreement).

It seems everyone is happy with the odd arrangement, until a few important passers-by happened to pass by the area.

“Unsafe” was the verdict.

This simple six-letter word was all it takes to throw the forked-road scheme away. Tussle followed.

In the end, after a brutal fight, the tree has to go. By this Sunday (15 July 2007).

If you happen to pass by the area, take a few moments to mourn for the tree.

So much for the guidelines.

Braddell Road Angsana Tree To Be Removed

1. An Angsana tree that stands in the middle of Braddell Road will be removed this month to ensure motorists’ safety.

2. Usually, in its construction projects, LTA undertakes to conserve the greenery and minimise the impact of its construction activity on the surrounding environment, often working with NParks in these efforts. When the construction for the new Lornie-Braddell Road Interchange began in 2005, LTA and NParks had opted to save the Angsana tree by bifurcating the slip road around the tree. This was done after LTA’s studies showed the bifurcation design – or splitting of the road around the tree – would be a safe option if motorists were to drive within the stated 40km/h speed limit.

3. As a precautionary measure, LTA had drawn additional road markings and placed additional signs to remind motorists driving along this stretch to keep within the speed limit. To further ensure safety for motorists, the chevron markings in front of the tree were extended and a double white line was painted on the road before the tree.

4. In the two years since the bifurcation design was implemented, LTA has continued to monitor traffic conditions around the Angsana Tree. Despite the additional measures, LTA’s ongoing monitoring has revealed that many motorists do not drive within the 40km/h speed limit, and consequently, run the risk of colliding with the tree, resulting in injury or worse. It was also observed that, in not staying within the safe speed limits, many motorists are unable to keep to their lanes. We have also received feedback from motorists involved in ‘near accident’ situations along this stretch of Braddell Road.

5. Ms Karen Loh, a businesswoman, who drives pass the stretch occasionally told LTA: "When I come to this road, I have to make a split second decision on which lane to take. I also found it difficult to slow down. While I applaud the authorities' efforts to conserve the tree, many drivers don't realise the need to slow down to manoeuvre the curve in the alignment of the road.''

6. Based on LTA’s observations and the public feedback, LTA and NParks came to the conclusion that removing the tree is the most prudent course of action to prevent any future accidents.

7. The removal of the tree and the realignment of Braddell Road will take place from 15 July 2007. To facilitate the removal, there will be lane closures along Braddell Road from 15 July 2007 to 7 August 2007.

8. With the removal of the tree, a straighter three-lane carriageway will be constructed along this stretch of Braddell Road.

Source: LTA (11 July 2007)

[This post is not possible without John's contribution. He helps to improve the story flow and added a human touch to the writing. Thanks John.]

A first for land transport industry

Land Transport Authority (LTA), the government body that plans road and rail network in Singapore, relies on some planning parameters to determine how much time to allocate to each phases of the signalised junctions. One of such is walking speed, which is used to determine the minimum time for pedestrians to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing. For example, a dual three-lane road with a central median (i.e. the road separator) is about 25 metres wide. Based on walking speed of of 1.1 metre/second, pedestrians should be given a minimum of 23 seconds to cross the road, excluding the start up lag which usually constitutes another 5 seconds.

Different areas has different parameters, mainly to reflect the local demographics. For road crossings in city area, the walking speed parameter can reach as high as 1.3 m/s. On the other hand, housing estates, especially those with more elderly residents, could see a low of about 0.9 m/s.

In a latest study (refer to news below), Singapore finally earns a number one spot in the otherwise medal-less land transport sector: by having people who walked the fastest in the world! The study reported that Singaporeans took 10.55 seconds to cover 18-metre, which translates to a walking speed of 1.7m/s.

If LTA were to adopt the higher walking speed planning parameter, pedestrians who are walking slower would have to hasten their walking speed by about 25%, in the mean time possibly increasing their blood pressure too. On the other hand, motorcars will have more green time, especially for turning vehicles: this will increase the vehicles throughput at signalised junctions and thereby reducing queues and jams at junctions.

I'm personally against raising the planning parameter. Already I need to face a particular pedestrian crossing near my office which I always fail to cross in time. LTA should consider increasing the green time so I can enjoy a more comfortable work after lunch. I'm pretty sure it's not due to the additional pounds I gain from the heavy lunch, if you're asking. ;)

Life in the fast lane 'speeds up'

The pace of life for city dwellers is literally getting faster, a new British-led study suggests.

People are walking 10% more quickly than a decade ago, according to research in 32 cities across the globe.

Thousands of pedestrians were secretly timed in city centres with Singapore's residents found to be the most swift, followed by Copenhagen and Madrid.

However, the chief researcher told the BBC walking faster did not necessarily mean people were getting healthier.

Professor Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, told the BBC that the results provided "a significant insight into the physical and social health of a city".

"At one level, walking quickly is good, but if it's a way of life - if you're doing it simply to get from A to B as quickly as possible - then it goes with a whole load of other behaviours which are not quite so good for you.

"As people speed it's not the stress, it's the result of not eating properly, exercising or seeing friends and family. It can lead to all kinds of things, especially heart attacks."

A frenetic pace of life was found to be driven to some extent by technology. Mr Wiseman said communications were getting faster and faster.

"We are constantly in touch with each other and getting back to people as quickly as we can and that's minutes and not hours. That's driving us to think everything has to happen now."

The biggest changes were found in Guangzhou in China with an increase of more than 20%. Singapore showed a 30% increase, making it the most frenetic city in the study.

New York was ranked 8th, while London was outside the top 10. The Middle East tended to have the slowest pace of life.

The study was carried out in collaboration with the UK's cultural relations agency, the British Council.

FASTEST CITIES
1. Singapore; 10.55s
2. Copenhagen (Denmark); 10.82s
3. Madrid (Spain); 10.89s
4. Guangzhou (China): 10.94s
5. Dublin (Ireland); 11.03s
6. Curitiba (Brazil); 11.13s
7. Berlin (Germany); 11.16s
8. New York (USA); 12.00s
9. Utrecht (Holland); 12.04s
10. Vienna (Austria); 12.06s

Time in seconds to cover 60ft (0.02km)
Source: British Council

Source: BBC

If I were the Transport Minister

Raymond Lim is inviting you to try to fit into his big shoes by playing "The Great Transport Challenge 2020" game. This is similar to an earlier game with similar title to help explain the Budget 2007.

The game gives a quick comprehensive view of the issues that are currently being discussed or debated in tandem with the White Paper review. It is a good guide for starters and a good summary for those who are familiar.

Do play the game and learn a thing or two from it. There are prizes to be won too!

Google Map showing car park rates

Lately, the Esplande car park rate shot up by up to 50%. If you're a regular visitor, you're likely to look out for other cheaper alternatives nearby. Although there is a comprehensive compilation of car park rates available at One.Motoring, you have to know the names of nearby car parks and search through the list. Wouldn't it be easier if the information can be presented graphically?

Here comes the answer. Someone has made use of Google Map and created a graphical version of the list -- Parking Maps Singapore. The idea is similar to the display of bus stop timing which I've blogged earlier. By mapping the car parks onto the map, you can easily focus on a specific area where you want to park to find out parking rates. Results are available almost immediately. This is especially useful if you wish to find alternative car parks nearby without searching through the long list.

Caution: the car park listed in the Google Map is not exhaustive, and the information is only as updated as what One.Motoring provides.

Screenshot of map showing car park rates

Personalised vanity car plates

There has been news that Singapore car owners might get to lay their hands on vanity car plates soon. Instead of the usual car plates like “SGP 100 A”, LTA is considering relaxing the guidelines on car plates to allow various permutations of alphabets and letters, up to a maximum 12 characters. The car plates are rumoured to sell at a fixed price rather than on a bidding system, which is the current system in place for Hong Kong.

Actually, a bidding system would be more equitable. It prevents squatters who could be profiteering the first-come-first-serve fixed price model by snapping up high demand car plates quickly and then resell them at a higher price, in the process making a profit. It also allows people who are eyeing the same car plate to fight it out. It will also be consistent with LTA’s current practice of having a bidding system for those who wish to bid on the 4-digit car number plates.

More importantly, a bidding system would generate more revenue for LTA, especially when they need to come up with innovative ideas to replace the 8% reduction in road tax collection for Budget 2007 (click here for more info). But why is LTA not inclined to opt for a bidding system?

Let's do some calculations here. Assuming that personalised car plates are offered at a flat rate of $1,000 per plate (current minimum amount for car registration number bidding), then for LTA to recoup the 8% road tax rebate, it would need to sell about 61,000 personalised car plates, which is about 50% of the total COE quota for next year – quite an impossible take-up rate.

If we assume only 5% of the new COE issued will be applying for a personalised car plate, each plate will be at a flat rate of about $10,000 – a very hefty fee! A bidding system would not likely to achieve this amount (unless the starting bid set quite high), which could probably explain why LTA is thinking of selling the personalised plates at a flat-fee rather than using the current bidding system!

New bus lane operating hours from 1 April 2007

Motorists take note. From 1 April 2007, bus lane operating hours will be revised. To avoid intruding into the bus lanes, please note the following changes:

1. Full-day bus lane will be expanded to cover five new locations: Eu Tong Sen Street, Hill Street, Victoria Street, Bras Basah Road and Somerset Road/Penang Rd. [Post-note: For update on the expanded full-day bus lane scheme effective on 2 June 2008, please refer to here.]
   
2. Normal bus lane hours during weekday mornings will remain the same while the operating hours of the weekday evening period will be adjusted from 4.30pm-7.00pm to 5.00pm-8.00pm. Bus lane hours on Saturdays will no longer apply.

Kudos to LTA for their publicity effort. Information brochures and car decals were sent to motorists to inform them of the changes well in advance. In total, 600,000 information packets was sent to all registered vehicle owners, taxi companies and for distribution at selected petrol kiosks.

I have only one peeve about this: that the removal of bus lane operational hours on Saturdays should have come hand-in-hand with the implementation of five-day work week (which was adopted by almost all industries by early 2005).

For those who are a bit more nostalgic, bus lanes were first introduced in 1974 because "public buses using limited road space are to be given high priority", and "quicker turn around can effectively increase the carrying capacity of the fleet of public buses" (Straits Times, 20 Jan 1974). The scheme first started with bus lanes at 11 areas involving 20 roads, which were implemented in stages in the following order:

• 6 Feb: Robinson Road-Maxwell Road of Collyer Quay
  
• 22 Feb: Stamford Road-Bras Basah Road
• 15 Mar: Orchard Road-Stamford Road to Paterson Road
• 16 Mar: Collyer Quay-Connaught Drive
• 21 Mar: North Bridge Road-South Bridg