[quote]
The problem with the
traffic situation on Singapore roads is that there is no single
authority that ensures the plans is finally executed according to
the original intention.
The Ministry of
Transport will work with LTA and the Traffic Police to make some
ambitious master plan, with the LTA seeing to its construction,
while leaving the Traffic Police to best manage the roads according
to their assigned responsbilities.
Is there assigned
responsibilities in ensuring road safety in tune with the Traffic
Mangement Master Plan ?
Ironically, the
Ministry will only look at the macro view of Traffic
Management, and does not seem to make any follow-up review if
the Traffic Police are managing the roads according to the Master
Plans.[/quote]
Minister should be the person responsible for coordinating all
the functions of various agencies under the traffic master plan if
there is one. If he is unable to do so, he will have to let someone
do it. Perhaps, let a FT take over his job. Why not? What is so
sensitive about the traffic portfolio?
[quote]
With roads that are
constructed for travel speeds of up to 120 kmh, the Traffic Police
will insist on a travel speed of only 90 kmh along expressways, 70
kmh along most arerial roads throughout the island, with
occassional alternative speeds of 50 kmh and 80 kmh appearing as
rare sights.
The Ministry and
LTA will utilise the ERP Gantry to manage traffic to ensure
smoother flows and allow a higher volume of traffic to be
accomodated on the roadways.
Unfortunately, the
efforts - from the Ministry and LTA - are sabotaged by the Traffic
Police conservative mentality in restricting travel speeds
to 25 percent below the road design
speed.
With the speed
limits that are set below that of the designed road
speed, are the roads used at an optimum efficiency level,
or are the conservative speed limits causing unnecessary
higher traffic volume on the roads, as no one is allowed to get
home faster than what is allowed ?
In any
eventuality, no driver can get any faster than the traffic
condition that blocks his path, or slows him down. Can the driver
simply fly over the traffic in front ?
The Traffic Police
should trust Singaporeans more by allowing for higher speed limits
along our roadways, and leaving the drivers with the discretion of
travelling at higher speeds according to traffic condtitions at
different times of any given 24 hour day.
It is ridculous to
restrict a vehicle from travelling any faster during off-peak hours
- especially at 2.00 a.m. in the morning when traffic is nearly
non-existent..
How often have we
seen a line of cars suddenly hitting the brakes - when the lead car
start the entire chain reaction as he approaches a Traffic
Speed Camera - even when the cars are will within the speed
limit will slow even farther to be on the safe side
?
It is time for the
Minister to take charge of the entire Traffic Management Master
Plan, and come up with clear guidlines to ensure that all the
government agencies that are involved with traffic management
should be guided by a single master plan.
Perhaps the PM
should also get into the act, as the Traffic Police is with the
Home Ministry even as it work closefly with the Transport
Ministry.
Is punitive
financial methods the only ways to manage our traffic situation
?
The answer is
obviously negative, as the current frequencies of ERP price
increases have still not improved the traffic situation, and
neither will more ERP gantries help solve the
situation.
The answer to it
all is in the acronym - KISS.[/quote]
From time to time, we have heard that the government's original
policy intention was to ease traffic congestion in imposing
punitive vehicle excise duty, COE, car park fees and ERP. It is a
shame that one by one all these measures have failed to achieve the
original intention as announced. Have they?
So if some analysts were to now explain the road congestion
problems as attributable to some other factors like speeds or
traffic police's coordination problem or some problems with other
agencies, all these might well be only second guesses.
The key issue is Minister's accountability. When minister Mah
introduced the COE with the solemn intention or objective as being
to replace the excise duty as the more effective means to solve
traffic congestion problem he has to be honest and have the
integrity to follow-up with abolishing the excise duty after COE or
ERP were introduced. Has he?
MM Lee condemns oppositions as liars. What we have seen here are
ministers making serious and solemn promises about replacing excise
duty but failing to keep to their promises. So who are telling
lies? Are ministers for telling lies or is failing to keep promises
not a lie?
So honestly although many professionals have different views of
traffic problems and may have other perceived solutions or
alternatives with extensive researches and good analytical datas
and statistics the real problem is only one - accountability of the
ministers.
I should like to think that if Ministers are honest, and do
seriously keep to promises made in parliament why should the
oppositions like CSJ be challenging government for not telling the
truths or telling lies. Who started telling lies anyway?
Trouble is for too long now ministers are not being made to be
accountable to the people or willing to keep to solemn promises
made.
That is perhaps the reason for our defamation suits to shut off
problems. The root cause has to be established. But two wrongs do
not make one right.
