Which Comes first; Congestion or Growing Population Size?

HyperFocal SG

... Article overlooked the government's objective of pumping up population size in SG to 6.5 million...

... it wouldn't be called congestion then...

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Congestion will have long-term impact on productivity and health
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 26 January 2008 1722 hrs

SINGAPORE: Congestion is a problem that affects most big cities.

If not resolved, it will have a long-term effect on the economy, loss in productivity as people get stuck in traffic, and even health.

Associate Professor Eustan Quah, an economist, said: "Congestion may mean that people would be more stressed up - they may return from work later than is normal and this in turn may leave little time for whatever time there is for relaxation and leisure and this in turn also affects health and family unity.

He added: "Congestion is like stationary pollution and if it's big enough, it is going to release more emissions of carbon dioxide and various car pollutants and this is going to have an impact on people living around certain roads."

In Singapore, the solution has been two-pronged.

Get people to use more public transport while controlling vehicle growth and pricing busy roads - where rates have mostly gone up.

But with the benefits of an effective public transport system still some years away, is a never-ending spiral of higher road use costs then inevitable?

"We don't expect this to remain stagnant because people are more affluent, people change jobs, people change neighbourhoods and this is all going to have an impact on traffic volume and whether road pricing works or not at that price. So I don't think there is any one magic formula," said Quah.

An announcement on the review of managing road use - the last of three major policy changes - is expected soon. -CNA/vm

maggot SG

Congestion Laughing

If they really want to widen the roads

How many trees, bridges and lamp posts have to demolished?

Cost must be high

Now 4 lane expressway also jam in the mornings

Cannot think when reach 6 million

1 more personal thing

Cannot get into the MRT train at peak hour at the outram station Mad

Must wait at least 1 to 2 trains went pass then can squeeze Sad

Wah piyang another fully packed train...the feeling is sickening

Jams also sickening for those who take taxi and caught in a jam...$3.00 for me just to move 2 km........ Evil or Very Mad I was like hoping the taxi transform into a tank so that can bash through Sad

reddressman SG

recently there were fare hikes.

also, ERP gantries increased and hiked also quoting more cars using the roads.

bicycles lanes : there are non like that in china where dedicated lanes makes cycling safe and efficient. sg roads are thin and cycling , even motorbiking is a kind of hazaard to car users.

sg is tiny, when u compare with truely large countries, even if you just compare with large cities, sg is tiny.

china boleh'd, so its commonsense to expect sg should have no excuse not to widen the roads to make the cycling more safe and efficient.

how long does this take? see china's cities took how long only?

but the mudder of all mudder of question is

will there be more hikes coming your face
or will solutions be true world class such that you no need pay and pay?

does World Class Solution mean no more Pay And Pay ?

HyperFocal SG

... since WHEN did any of FAP's solution did not result in paying more???

.... they will even demand to be paid more in salary again on top of all the other increased costs of living, when all these so call "progress" and "improvements" are done.... !

reddressman SG

Acture-of-the-lee,

I strongly absolutely am convinced that

many many many people can also come up with solutions

that costs more.

inventors who succeeded are mostly those who are aber to make products and services less costly or the same and yet with better efficiency , productivity and is faster, better and cheaper.

errm,,, to me really this is basic 101 commonsense lor.

HyperFocal SG

... well, as since they are business-minded, every so called "improvements" or "invention" or "progress", will be equated with us paying more in daily living, as well paying them more in Taxes & salaries...

Doubletalk SG

... the worship of money, mmmm.

phil30k SG

I'd like to present a way of looking at this problem for your consideration.

I think congestion arises at times when people travel to their destination along a route with insufficient capacity or efficiency.

So:

Stagger working hours to change times when people are on the road.

People, so reducing the number of people, with all else being equal, will reduce congestion.

Travel, ie traffice flow may be examined to allow for smoother traffic flows. Examine for and remove bottlenecks. Synchonize traffic lights. Look at locations where vehicles filter in or out of expressways.

Destination, the idea of the business park was to create a place where people could live and work in the same place, reducing congestion. If more people worked out of their homes it would lessen congestion. Decentralize the workplaces.

You can provide alternate routes so vehicles may opt to use other roads.

You can widen the road to increase it's capacity or make cars smaller or have alternative to cars, eg motorcycles etc.

Or study a way to make traffic move faster increasing efficiency or getting people to car pool. Or using public transport as buses carry more people and take up less space.

So there you have many valid points of views and many alternatives to choose from.

xavier1979 SG

Rail is the way to go. And I’m sure the government has factored this solution in their national planning.