http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080618/tap-354705-231650b.html
Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 40
minutes ago
SINGAPORE: About half of existing ERP gantries
islandwide will see their rates increase from July 7.
The electronic road pricing (ERP) rates for 32 of 65 gantries
will increase by between 50 cents and S$2.00. The gantries are
primarily in the Central Business District (CBD) and Orchard
Road.
Five new ERP gantries along the Singapore River will also be
activated on July 7.
Traffic in the CBD is slowing down, said the Land Transport
Authority (LTA). So in January, as part of its Master Plan, the LTA
came up with a new way to measure speed.
It is called the 85th percentile method — this is when motorists
experience smooth traffic at least 85 percent of the time on roads
that have ERP gantries.
Another new LTA initiative is for
bigger ERP rate increases because, LTA said, motorists are less
sensitive to the existing rate structure.
In addition, ERP operating hours in the CBD will be extended by
one hour on weekdays — from 7pm to 8pm — while gantries in the
Orchard Road cordon will start an hour earlier on Saturdays, at
11am.
To reduce congestion further, LTA is putting in five new
gantries along the Singapore River.
This essentially divides the CBD into two parts — the
predominantly shopping—commercial district around the Bugis—Marina
area and the office—based areas in Robinson Road.
LTA hopes that these gantries, which run from Eu Tong Sen Street
to Fullerton Road, will cut down on what they call "through
traffic".
LTA’s chief engineer for transportation, Dr Chin Kian Keong,
said: "The gantries along the Singapore River will deal with
traffic passing through. They (some motorists using the roads) are
not destined for that part of the city, but merely passing through
to get to other parts of Singapore. If we can discourage some of
these trips from city roads, traffic levels on these roads will
become better."
Currently, a third of all traffic in the area is what LTA calls
"through traffic" and LTA hopes to cut this by half, with the new
ERP gantries.
Five of these gantries — at Fullerton Road, Eu Tong Sen Street,
New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road — will operate on weekdays
from 6pm to 8pm daily. Motorists will pay S$2.00 from 6pm to 7.30pm
and S$1.00 from 7.30pm to 8pm.
Two of the gantries — at Fullerton Road and Eu Tong Sen Street —
will also operate on Saturdays from 12.30pm to 8pm, and motorists
will have to pay S$2.00.
More changes may be coming up. In November, LTA will again use
its new criteria to review gantry rates within and up to the outer
cordon. And in February next year, LTA will look at all other
gantries islandwide.
The question many motorists may have is "why is the government
increasing the ERP rates now?", considering that there is a freeze
on all government fees till the end of the year.
The Transport Ministry said things like the ERP rates are
excluded from the freeze and that traffic congestion, left
unchecked, will have a negative effect on the economy. — CNA/ir
quite obvious, in no time, private transportation will only be
exclusive to the rich ones.
