Askmelah’s note: a long overdue effort, finally a TP chief is finally doing his/her job. I have no doubt that the effect will reign in the notorious bad habits of the local drivers and saves many lives in the long run.
On the other hand, LTA is failing us. instead of controlling the car population, explore new transport means (e.g. water taxi), car pooling etc they choose to build more roads which not only expensive, disturbing nature habitat, taking up precious land, worse it just diverts the traffic and encourage higher car population in the long run. Kudos to TP and shame on LTA.
“It is better to find more ways to control car numbers and immigration which has fuelled the car population than to build more roads and destroy what little open, green space we have.”– Tan Wee Cheng
“Public transport has been improved, with interconnected Mass Rapid Transit lines and bus networks. So why is our transport system struggling to cope? The answer is that our planners have a fragmented view of the social, economic, environmental and development aspects of Singapore. Visions and policies do not weave together across these as they should.” – Mallika Naguran
Beating the red light topped the list of the top five offences nabbed by these covert operations.
Also in the top five is using a mobile phone while driving, which could see an offender fined up to S$1,000, jailed up to six months or both.
Plain-clothes officers deployed inconspicuously among the crowd have made it harder for such offenders to escape the law, said the Traffic Police.
Other top offences include careless driving, making unauthorised U-turns and not wearing a seatbelt. Channel NewsAsia
THE proposed road across Bukit Brown would improve congestion only minimally, benefitting mostly those accessing Singapore Island Country Club and future residences in the area.
In the past few years, the Traffic Police has enforced the speed limit along Lornie Road and many drivers now keep to 70 km/h as a result. This has increased congestion.
Such enforcement is outdated. If we are to be a mature state, the speed limits should be recommended speeds only, which, on dual-lane roads or viaducts, should be up to 90 km/h.
On expressways, it should be up to 120 km/h on the first lane. All vehicles could travel safely at a recommended speed of 90 km/h on the second and third lane, to allow faster throughput.
Drivers should then be penalised for exceeding 120 km/h or 90 km/h and would be able to drive more safely, with less sudden braking just before speed cameras.
If safety is a concern, speed cameras and indicators should be installed along smaller roads and in the vicinity of schools.
But most accidents are caused by improper lane discipline. The Traffic Police should have more enforcement against road hogging and heavy vehicles travelling on the wrong lanes.
The cost of increasing speed limits is next to nothing compared to building the new road with its vehicular bridge.
I AM a Thomson resident, and I expect traffic to worsen and noise pollution to intensify with the new road across Bukit Brown.
I notice that the traffic jam along Lornie Road is not so much due to southbound traffic but mostly because the Pan-Island Expressway traffic is too heavy, and traffic cannot filter onto the PIE. The Government should widen the PIE, not build a new road.
Studies done around the world have shown that whenever more roads are built in an area already with a dense road network, the traffic situation deteriorates.
It is better to find more ways to control car numbers and immigration which has fuelled the car population than to build more roads and destroy what little open, green space we have.
WE ARE told that the new road in Bukit Brown will improve traffic flow, which is expected to increase by up to 30 per cent by 2020.
The question we should be asking is: What kind of sustainable Singapore do we want in 2020 and beyond? By building more roads, we continue to encourage private vehicle ownership.
Public transport has been improved, with interconnected Mass Rapid Transit lines and bus networks. So why is our transport system struggling to cope?
The answer is that our planners have a fragmented view of the social, economic, environmental and development aspects of Singapore. Visions and policies do not weave together across these as they should.
Staggered work hours and telecommuting could reduce the stress on public transport during peak hours. This approach was tested 20 years ago in one statutory board but nothing has materialised since.
Flexi-work could start with working from home weekly or monthly, or by changing office hours. The Civil Service, the nation’s largest employer, could take the lead.
Buses could be more frequent, with more and varied express bus services to busy areas. Bicycle lanes could be drawn within the bus lanes; half a metre is all that is needed. Melbourne sets a brilliant example of this approach and it works.
Cars are highly polluting, during manufacture, delivery and use. Car ownership here should be given the same treatment as our housing policy. Families of three or more should be allowed to buy a car more easily than singles.
Pollution tax should be incorporated in the cost of cars (besides Electronic Road Pricing). Parking rates should be made uncomfortably high, as is the case in Hong Kong. It is time to wield the stick if we are serious about reducing congestion on roads.
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