[sustran] Re: Airport ground access modal shares - a request

[Jonathan E. D. Richmond]

This reminds me of my bachelor's thesis at LSE which was an evaluation of
the choice between extending the Underground to Heathrow Airport and
having an overground connection.

In my thesis, I said that the overground would have been a better choice
-- and I believe I was certainly right in terms of access to Central
London for travelers. However, the Underground is much more useful for
commuters. Not only that but, when an overground service was in fact
built, it was priced so highly (it costs fourteen pounds one-way) that it
is too expensive not only for commuters but also for a large number of
airport passengers. My sister cannot justify taking her family of four on
a train with fares that cost more than a taxi and are many times the cost
of the Underground. The opportunity has been lost for creating a
high-volume public transport service in favour of an elite commercial
enterprise.

                                              --Jonathan




On Thu, 28 Jul 2005, Eric Bruun wrote:

> Alan
>
> Try www.tcrponline.com. There is a free publication about transit
> access to airports
> that has the mode split for several airports.
>
> Also, don't just look at travelers, look at workers. In the US, there
> are lots of low paid workers
> at airports who also need access. The new schemes like the JFK AirTrain
> are cost prohibitive for
> commuting.
>
> Eric Bruun
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brendan Finn
> Sent: Jul 28, 2005 5:58 AM
> To: Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport
> Subject: [sustran] Re: Airport ground access modal shares - a request
>
> Alan,
>
> I agree with Jonathon's remarks. A taxi from downtown to the airport is
> less than S$20, or about US$10. It's usually fast (20-25 minutes) and
> obviously can pick you up from your door. In Singaporean humidity,
> you'd have to be right next to an MRT station to consider the trip to
> the airport with luggage, and transfers with luggage within most MRT
> stations are a hassle (as anywhere) . For a while (I think around
> 2000-1) you could face a 10 minute plus queue for a taxi from the
> airport at busy times, but supply now exceeds demand and the queue
> time has been negligible for the last few years.
>
> Bus suits many people on the east side of the island (same side as
> Changi) and for them it's price competitive with taxi for 1-2 people,
> but is very much slower than taxi. It's hardly worth the price-saving
> to downtown, and definitely not if you're faced with a further transfer
> (even a short local one).  If you know the bus network, it's ok,
> but bus routing information is not so friendly to the new or occasional
> user.
>
> My guess is that taxi is the main mode, followed by private car, with
> bus and MRT further back. From observation I don't recall so much
> motorbike traffic on the airport road, compared to other parts of the
> island especially the west.
>
> For stats, I suggest you e-mail Loh Chow Kuang of the Public Transport
> Council - website www.ptc.gov.sg . If they don't have the information,
> they will surely know who does. At their website under the 'News'
> section, you will find information about their most recent fares
> increase, including the factors considered and justification. This may
> also be useful to you.
>
> With best wishes,
>
>
> Brendan Finn.
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> _______
> From Brendan Finn, ETTS Ltd.   e-mail : etts at indigo.ie   tel :
> +353.87.2530286
>       ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jonathan E. D. Richmond
> To: Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport
> Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2005 12:09 PM
> Subject: [sustran] Re: Airport ground access modal shares - a
> request
>
>
>
> I don't have the exact numbers, but I know it is low.
>
> In fact, ridership on the rail system got so low that the
> government
> permitted the operator to discontinue direct service to central
> Singapore.
> there is now only a shuttle, and passengers to and from the
> airport have
> to change which, of course, discourages ridership further.
>
> One issue is that taxis are cheap in Singapore. If you don't have
> someone
> to pick you up, you can get where you're going pretty fast by
> cab, and if
> there are two or three of you it is often no more expensive than
> public
> transport.
>
>                                 --Jonathan
>
>
> On Thu, 28 Jul 2005, Alan Howes wrote:
>
> > Can anyone tell me the ground access modal share to public
> transport for Singapore (Changi) airport - or any other
> interesting airports for that matter (I have London already)?
> >
> > Or a suggestion where I could look - Google has failed me!
> >
> > Alan
> >
> > --
> > Alan Howes
> > Associate Transport Planner
> > Colin Buchanan
> > email:  alan.howes at cbuchanan.co.uk
> <mailto:alan.howes at cbuchanan.co.uk>
> >
> > www: http:/www.cbuchanan.co.uk/
> > _______________________________
> >
>
>
>

-----

Jonathan E. D. Richmond                               02 524-5510 (office)
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