SINGAPORE: More vehicles will be on Singapore roads in coming years, but analysts believe the nation is on course to become a car-lite society.
They expect congestion will remain well-managed by technology and that motorists’ behaviour will evolve.
In October, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced an additional 20,000 Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) that will be progressively added across all vehicle categories.
This marks the first expansion in the nation’s private car population since the last increase in COEs was implemented was between 1997 and 2003.
Among the technologies that may help the country achieve the vision that it has been working towards since 2014 is ST Engineering’s traffic management system.
It can predict congestion up to an hour before it happens by analysing real-time and historical traffic data.
The artificial intelligence-driven technology can send real-time information on the traffic situation in the form of push notifications to drivers.
It can even automatically alert police and ambulance services, enabling timely actions.
"Singapore’s road networks are very interconnected. Any accidents or disruption to traffic flow can impact our commute time greatly,” said Mr Leong Hin Cheong, vice president of mobility road at ST Engineering.
Hence, having such a system ensures smoother traffic and reduces the number of road accidents, he told CNA.
ST Engineering has implemented a variation of the system in Dubai.
The system has helped traffic authorities in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city reduce congestion duration by half, improve emergency response time by up to 30 per cent and cut overall travel time of motorists by 20 per cent, Mr Leong said.
In the long run, with smoother traffic and shorter commute time, this in turn helps to cut down carbon emissions and contributes to a cleaner environment, he added.
One option to trim congestion on the roads is to charge car owners by how far they drive, said experts.
The move could encourage car owners to take public transport and only drive during non-peak periods or when they really need to.
“A car-lite society is not necessarily about preventing people from owning a car outright, or from using cars,” said Associate Professor Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) business school.
“It's about managing the need or reducing the need to use a car when there are other alternatives. It comes down to a balance between ownership policy and usage policy.”
He said that the average mileage of a Singapore driver has fallen over the years, in part due to changing work patterns since the COVID-19 pandemic – such as hybrid work, and better access to public transport.
“We have to have flexibility for more ownership access to cars, while also ensuring that their usage is efficient and rational… (such as) family needs,” he said.
He emphasised that accessibility is crucial for more Singaporeans to deem public transport the best choice.
Singapore is spending billions on planned upgrades to improve connectivity and accessibility, with the continued expansion of the MRT and bus networks.
However, this will also mean the inevitable increase of public transport fares due to operation and maintenance, said Professor Victor Kwan, a senior lecturer at SUSS.
“It has to cover its own cost, even if it doesn't make money. So, inevitably, cost will increase over time and fares will have to increase accordingly as well,” he said.
He noted that a balanced budget is crucial for a sustainable public transportation system, and that it will become increasingly important to engage the public in such conversations.
“It's also worth thinking about whether we can push the fare concession system a bit further, because today in public transport, you have all kinds of users… (some) who are earning lots of money and could probably afford to pay slightly higher fares,” he said.
He added Singapore’s public transport network has grown significantly over the years, and is on target for its 2030 green plan that will require all newly-registered cars to be cleaner-energy models.
“Electric vehicles have taken hold of the market in recent years and our charging infrastructure (has grown). With new MRT stations being added, we are approaching our vision for 2030 (as) a sustainable, smart, connected city,” he said.
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They expect congestion will remain well-managed by technology and that motorists’ behaviour will evolve.
In October, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced an additional 20,000 Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) that will be progressively added across all vehicle categories.
This marks the first expansion in the nation’s private car population since the last increase in COEs was implemented was between 1997 and 2003.
TECH THAT MANAGES TRAFFIC
Among the technologies that may help the country achieve the vision that it has been working towards since 2014 is ST Engineering’s traffic management system.
It can predict congestion up to an hour before it happens by analysing real-time and historical traffic data.
The artificial intelligence-driven technology can send real-time information on the traffic situation in the form of push notifications to drivers.
It can even automatically alert police and ambulance services, enabling timely actions.
"Singapore’s road networks are very interconnected. Any accidents or disruption to traffic flow can impact our commute time greatly,” said Mr Leong Hin Cheong, vice president of mobility road at ST Engineering.
Hence, having such a system ensures smoother traffic and reduces the number of road accidents, he told CNA.
ST Engineering has implemented a variation of the system in Dubai.
The system has helped traffic authorities in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city reduce congestion duration by half, improve emergency response time by up to 30 per cent and cut overall travel time of motorists by 20 per cent, Mr Leong said.
In the long run, with smoother traffic and shorter commute time, this in turn helps to cut down carbon emissions and contributes to a cleaner environment, he added.
CHARGING DRIVERS BY DISTANCE?
One option to trim congestion on the roads is to charge car owners by how far they drive, said experts.
The move could encourage car owners to take public transport and only drive during non-peak periods or when they really need to.
“A car-lite society is not necessarily about preventing people from owning a car outright, or from using cars,” said Associate Professor Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) business school.
“It's about managing the need or reducing the need to use a car when there are other alternatives. It comes down to a balance between ownership policy and usage policy.”
He said that the average mileage of a Singapore driver has fallen over the years, in part due to changing work patterns since the COVID-19 pandemic – such as hybrid work, and better access to public transport.
“We have to have flexibility for more ownership access to cars, while also ensuring that their usage is efficient and rational… (such as) family needs,” he said.
He emphasised that accessibility is crucial for more Singaporeans to deem public transport the best choice.
EN ROUTE TO 2030
Singapore is spending billions on planned upgrades to improve connectivity and accessibility, with the continued expansion of the MRT and bus networks.
However, this will also mean the inevitable increase of public transport fares due to operation and maintenance, said Professor Victor Kwan, a senior lecturer at SUSS.
“It has to cover its own cost, even if it doesn't make money. So, inevitably, cost will increase over time and fares will have to increase accordingly as well,” he said.
He noted that a balanced budget is crucial for a sustainable public transportation system, and that it will become increasingly important to engage the public in such conversations.
“It's also worth thinking about whether we can push the fare concession system a bit further, because today in public transport, you have all kinds of users… (some) who are earning lots of money and could probably afford to pay slightly higher fares,” he said.
He added Singapore’s public transport network has grown significantly over the years, and is on target for its 2030 green plan that will require all newly-registered cars to be cleaner-energy models.
“Electric vehicles have taken hold of the market in recent years and our charging infrastructure (has grown). With new MRT stations being added, we are approaching our vision for 2030 (as) a sustainable, smart, connected city,” he said.
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