In the article “Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic”, Tay (2018)
expresses the need for Singapore to come up with more refined approaches by the
21st century to overcome an increasing vehicle population. Comparing the
solutions, replacement of Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) to Electronic Road
Pricing (ERP) system had the biggest impact as it omits having officers to
check on the passes. To identify blockage and keep track of the vehicles’
speed, cameras are installed on the expressways by the Expressway Monitoring
& Advisory System (EMAS). Having a better traffic flow, it decreases the
time taken for people to travel to designated places. Singapore aims to
continue upgrading the transportation services and improving road safety. With
technology advancement, it has made it possible for an undergoing satellite ERP
system in the future. This pursuing plan allows Singapore to keep moving
forward in conjunction with substantial transport strategies and with citizens
as focal point. Based on the points stated, it is necessary to keep on
upgrading Singapore’s transport services to optimize road usage while having
the mindset on how to serve the citizens better.
Firstly, buses are given more priority when travelling on the
road in order to reduce the number of cars on the go. According to the Land
Transport Authority’s (LTA) webpage, it states that there is a bus lane scheme
that allows for extension of full-day bus lanes by three hours till 11.00pm.
This scheme has started since 21 March 2016 and other than buses, only
ambulances, police cars and bicycles are approved on the lanes. In my opinion,
the extension of operation is a good approach as this ensures the efficiency of
being able to bring more people at once with to their destinations using a
vehicle. In a long term, it also helps commuters to save transport fees as they
would cut down on looking for alternatives ways such as calling for taxis to
get to places. Furthermore, according to Ministry of Transport (MOT) website,
under Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), it points out that there will
be an increase of the bus’s capacity to fit and carry more people around.
Secondly other than buses, improvements are made to rail network
too. According to the news “New stations, line extensions planned for
Singapore’s rail network” on Channel News Asia (CNA) website, Chong (2019)
mentions the inclusion of two new stations for the North-South Line (NSL) for
LTA’s Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2040. With this ongoing action, the
ultimate outcome would be to have better connectivity, and it would be more
convenient for the people living near the area. Also, based on MOT’s website,
there will be upgrades and renewals made to the railway tracks to ensure lesser
breakdowns from happening in the future and a smoother journey.
Lastly, LTA has been trying to make transportation services more
suitable for the elderly. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH) website,
other than taking considerations of having more affordable bus fares for the
elderly, LTA plans to impose 50 Silver Zones by 2023. With that, it helps to
ensure the safety of the elderly when they are crossing the roads. Based on
LTA’s website, with more silver zones, it reduces the rate of accidents among
senior citizens, and there will be more reinforcements made to ensure their
safety.
It is a need to keep making improvements to Singapore's
transportation services in order to have effective road management and at the
same time providing citizens with upmost service. Priority to buses,
improvements to railways and making buses to be more suitable for elderly are
good measures that were implemented.
References
Land Transport Authority. (2019). Road
Regulations. Retrieved 26 September 2019,
MOT Singapore. (2019). Gain new perspectives on
land, sea & air transport. Retrieved
Chong. (2019). New stations, line extensions
planned for Singapore’s rail network.
Retrieved 26
September 2019, from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-mrt-stations-lines-lta-master-plan-11564622
MOH Singapore. (2019). Go About Easily.
Retrieved 29 September 2019, from
Land Transport Authority. (2019). Factsheet: 20
More Silver Zones to Enhance Road
Safety
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