That's taking it far too simply. The TS is right...there are
lots of implications, not all of which are good.
As they say in construction, safety first. To have an F1 race at
night on our streets, there will be various modifications required
to light up the track further. Our public roads are not designed
for vehicles driving at those speeds at night without
headlights. Roads will have to be re-surfaced, additional
street lights installed. The amount of disruption to traffic will
be considerable, weeks or months before the race.
There will need to be construction of viewing galleries and
infrastructure required for the race, which will involve road
closures and diversions.
Third, there will be the environmental impact, the noise and light
pollution which will impact all residents close to the race track,
irregardless of whether they are fans of the race.
There is also the possible long-term adverse effect of encouraging
young people to emulate such races. I expect there will be more
illegal street races and so more police resources will have to be
deployed to prevent that.
As a recreation, it is an exclusive activity available only to the
select few who can afford it. As a sport, it does not improve
aerobic fitness and there are many better and healthier
alternatives. A champion F1 racer is no more likely to pass the
IPPT than one who takes up jogging. For the environment, it has a
detrimental impact and probably the last thing we would want to
introduce to Singapore at a time when we are going into green
technology.
There is only one reason for bringing it in. It has the potential
to earn millions for Singapore through an event that just lasts a
week and there are long term benefits for the tourism industry. I
am not a fan of F1 and would oppose this activity but for that one
reason....it's good for the economy.
The government is considering the costs and benefits. If it can
bring in hundreds of millions of dollars as events in other nations
do, then I will support this event in Singapore. The adverse impact
are mostly short-term and if the returns are as good as they are
reported to be, then it is worth it.
