[sustran] Singapore's Transportation Secrets : Some ideas to examine?

[Vinay Baindur]

Singapore's Transportation Secrets
11 March 2010 - 3:00pm | by *
http://citiscope.org/2010/singapores-transportation-secrets*
Author
 Christopher Tan
   The Straits Times
  Subhead:
 *More vehicles, more trips, more people -- but gridlock remain a rarity.
What gives? *

Singapore Singapore is a city on the move. Literally. Furiously. In cars. In
buses. On rail lines. At rates of expansion that would make most transport
executives blanch.
[image: Workers celebrate the final tunnel breakthrough for Singapore's
Circle Line, a 33km orbital MRT line slated for completion in 2011]
Workers celebrate the final tunnel breakthrough for Singapore's Circle Line,
a 33km orbital MRT line slated for completion in 2011

More and more people are moving - all the time. Three decades ago, they made
2.7 million daily trips. Now it's more than 11 million - in cars, buses and
trains. Yet Singapore has little of the congestion that almost paralyzes so
many cities around the world.

*What's the secret? It's simple. Early planning. Timely action. Massive
investment across many modes of transport. *
*Density without gridlock*

Not that Singapore's situation is simple. This sovereign state is just 710
square kilometers -- a bit bigger than New York City. It has 5 million
people -- more than double its population 30 years ago. Now, close to 1
million vehicles (of which 40,000 are from across the Malaysian border) zip
around in a network of well-paved roads spanning 3,400 kilometers.

And in contrast to neighboring cities such as Jakarta, Bangkok, and Kuala
Lumpur - and indeed, farther flung examples such as London, Paris and Los
Angeles -- gridlock is a rarity in Singapore.

This is despite growing car ownership. Back in 1981, there were 163,355
passenger cars here. Today, there are 570,000. Yet Singapore's average car
speed on arterial (main) roads during peak hours is 27 kmh (17 miles per
hour), compared to as low as 16 kmh in London, 11 kmh in Tokyo and 5 kmh in
Jakarta.
Clues to the formula

So, how has Singapore managed this seemingly text book success story on
urban mobility?

Mr. Lew Yii Der, group director for policy and planning of the country's
Land Transport Authority (LTA), says the the recipe "boils down to two
important ingredients: a convenient and well-connected public transport
network, and an effective set of demand management measures to regulate
traffic flow and keep road congestion in check."

As a relatively young nation (gaining independence in 1965), Singapore's
bureaucracy of scholars and technocrats had the advantage of learning from
older, more established cities. Urban planning soon became the government's
forte, and transport infrastructure a cornerstone of development.
[image: Singapore's Kim Chuan Depot, world's largest underground train
depot]
Singapore's Kim Chuan Depot, world's largest underground train depot

Expanding on a blueprint drawn by the country's British colonial masters,
policy makers began to build new roads -- lots of them. Starting in the
early 1970s, Singapore opened the first of what today is a network of nine
expressways crisscrossing the island, including such technological marvels
as a 12-km long, largely underground expressway opened two years ago, and an
upcoming (in 2013) link that not only goes underground but undersea.

But like all other modern cities, roads are rarely sufficient to move the
masses. Singapore opened its first rail transit line -- 6 kilometers, five
stations - in 1987. Today, the rail network spans over 150 km (94 miles),
with 106 stations serving four mass rapid transit lines (one partially
opened) and three light rail transit lines.

Major added investment -- $40 billion in Singapore dollars (U.S. $28.4
billion) -- is committed to expanding rail lines to 280 km by 2020.

With this ambitious expansion, the current balance in Singapore's average
daily trips of 11 million (6 million by private transport, 3 million by bus
and 2 million by rail) is likely to shift significantly toward public
transit (even with some additional roads).
[image: Kim Chuan Depot's Control Room]
Kim Chuan Depot's Control Room

LTA Rail Group Director Mr. Chua Chong Kheng recalls: "Since the first steps
were taken... on Oct 22, 1983, the government has invested heavily to ensure
that the rail network form the backbone of an efficient public transport
system."
*Key ingredient: congestion pricing*

Policymakers recognized early, in fact, that that a country as small and
dense as Singapore cannot rely solely on road expansion. Demand for road
space must be held in check. And the best way to do that, they discovered,
are user charges.

Literally decades ahead of European cities,* Singapore in 1977 instituted an
"Area Licensing System"* featuring stiff fees for any car entering downtown
Singapore during business hours. In 1998, this congestion pricing system
went high-tech with an electronic road-pricing system that requires any
vehicle in Singapore (as well as those coming in from Malaysia) be fitted
with a stored-value card reader.

As a car passes any of the city's 69 gantries (electronic checkpoints), the
card reader charges a fee, which varies significantly depending on time of
day. For someone driving into the city during the morning rush hour, tolls
across multiple gantries often add up to S$10 a day.

Following Singapore's lead, congestion pricing for traffic-clogged cities
has since been adopted by London, Oslo, Stockholm, and Milan. Mayor Michael
Bloomberg also proposed the idea in New York City, but was overruled by the
New York State Legislature.
Also key: paying for the right to use a vehicle

Singapore in 1990 inaugurated a second method for keeping auto use in check.
Anyone who wants to buy a vehicle must first secure a "Certificate of
Entitlement," valid for 10 years. Certificates are auctioned off twice a
month.

The price today hovers around S$20,000 in Singapore dollars, but it has been
as high as S$110,000. On top of that, Singapore motorists pay 44 cents in
duty for every liter of fuel they use (roughly $1.75 a gallon in the U.S.).
Pulling it off

But how has Singapore managed to implement controversial policies such as
congestion pricing and the expensive auto "certificates of entitlement" when
several other cities have tried launching similar systems but failed?

A unified local government with strong leadership has surely been a major
factor.

But there have also been persuasive politics. The LTA, for example, softened
the blow of the auto certificates of entitlement by lowering car
registration taxes which had previously been a stunning 200 percent of the
value of new vehicle. And trains and buses have relieved the crush on the
roads -- "an effective public transport system that is a viable alternative"
to driving, in the words of LTA Director of Road Operations Dr. Chin Kian
Keong (who was also one of the authors of the road pricing system).

Observers do not disagree that the public transport system is on the whole
effective. But they point out that commuter complaints about packed trains
and long bus arrivals have grown louder in recent years, largely because of
Singapore's population growth.

Not only that, road traffic has grown noticeably heavier in the past five
years.
[image: The city's electronic road-pricing gantries help control congestion]
The city's electronic road-pricing gantries help control congestion

The city has initiated a slew of responses, including higher driving
charges, more frequent train service, more bus lanes -- plus the S$50
billion worth of rail and road projects scheduled for completion by 2020.

Transport Minister Raymond Lim has an ambitious goal: to increase the
percentage of public transit trips during morning rush hours from 59 percent
in 2008 to 70 percent in the next 10 years. To do this, he acknowledges that
public transport has to be as convenient and nearly as speedy as driving.

Analysts applaud the efforts, but some say more needs to be done
immediately. Transport researcher Dr. Lee Der Horng, an associate at the
National University of Singapore, says: "I am concerned by the peak-hour
capacity on our public transport system, and the increased congestion levels
on our roads."

Member of Parliament Lim Wee Kiak, who also heads a policy-monitoring
committee, believes Singapore may face a serious transport crunch if not
more is done between now and 2020. "We have an acute problem now that needs
fast solutions in the short and medium term," he notes.

Despite the complaints, a Gallup world
poll<http://gallup.com/video/108886/Singapores-Rules-Cut-Driving-Boost-Air-Quality.aspx>of
20 cities in 2008 found that Singaporeans were the most satisfied with
their public transport system. Whether they will still be so in the next few
years remains to be seen.

 Comments
transport and public health - the missing link
<http://citiscope.org/2010/singapores-transportation-secrets#comment-13>
*Chu Wa <http://jz88.com/> (not verified)* | 15 April 2010 - 8:59am

I am a cyclist commuter in Singapore. Cycling is considered as a low-class
transport here. I use a folding bike and sometimes combine with public
transport (MRT, Taxi). I cycle to work everyday because it is healthy, fun,
convenient, non-polluting and low cost.

If public health and environment health is part of the responsibility of
traffic planning, I am confident that bicycle and walking will receive much
higher priority. Unfortunately the current transportation focus is only
speed mode share for motorize transport. Singapore not an exception.

A few minutes faster to work is not as important as keeping myself fit,
happy and younger. In my opinion, public health and environmental well-being
should be considered as part of the responsibility of sustainable traffic
planning.

   - reply <http://citiscope.org/comment/reply/17/13>

  The Way Forward<http://citiscope.org/2010/singapores-transportation-secrets#comment-10>
*Tim Campbell (not verified)* | 9 April 2010 - 11:25am

Singapore is another of many examples in Asia showing the technical and
political elements of control over the automobile. Tan's piece shows how
political leadership, and not just control, helped Singapore move forward,
for instance in the fine tuning of road pricing. Rail investments in
Singapore, and especially the heavy investment in high speed rail in China,
are additional markers that measures the increasing distance separating U.S.
public transit from world leaders.

   - reply <http://citiscope.org/comment/reply/17/10>

 Why Singapore public transport ridership
down<http://citiscope.org/2010/singapores-transportation-secrets#comment-8>
*Christopher Tan <http://www.straitstimes.com/> (not verified)* | 1 April
2010 - 7:00am

The main reasons for Singapore's public transport ridership falling in
PERCENTAGE terms:
- A fast-growing human population (from around 4.0 million in 2000 to almost
5.0 million last year, or +25%)
- A fast-growing passenger car population (from 392,961 in 2000 to 576,988
last year, or +47%)

In ABSOLUTE terms, public transport ridership (trains + buses, excl taxis)
hit a record 5.04 million/day last year.