CENTRAL PLANNING that micro-manages every aspect of the Lives of
Citizens can only result in FAILURES.
This approach has been the hallmark of this Singapore Government,
and it is not surprising that the LTA and Traffic Police will
dogmatically DICTATE - the driving habits on the roads and
expressways in Singapore - by setting speed limits; and creating
situations that does not fulfill the purpose of the original
designs of the roads and expressways.
In most countries, roads and expressways are designed to bring
people from one place to another in the quickest time and
safest manner.
Has the same objectives been met with the designs and management of
our roads and expressways ?
Roads and Highways are the connecting life lines of Singapore's
Economic and Social bodies, and instead of assisting Singaporeans
to use the roadways and expressways to achieve Economic and Social
'excellence, the Government, the Traffic Police, and the LTA seems
to have created obstacles to impede these goals from being
achieved.
Can Singapore achieve its present economic status if every road
user had observed the Traffic Speed Limit of 70kmh on most roads in
Singapore; and the other Speed Limits of 80kmh and 90kmh on
Expressways ?
With such UNREALISTIC speed limits, the Government, the Traffic
Police and the LTA has created and made CRIMINALS
out of all the Singapore Drivers and Riders on Singapore roads -
who can be seen to be travelling at speeds that are exceeding the
Stated Speed Limits by over 10kmh to 20kmh.
Everyone is driving at 80kmh along various
sections on the Bukit Timah and Upper Bukit Timah Roads,
Thomson and Upper Thomson Roads, Serangoon and Upper Serangoon
Roads, Nichol Highway, Shenton Way, Keppel Road, Mountbatten Road,
Paya Lebar Road - and the Speed Limit is from 50kmh to 70kmh.
Along the PIE, ECP, AYE, CTE, TPE, SLE, BKE, and KJE - although the
speed limits are set at 80kmh and 90kmh, many drivers can be seen
to be driving at speeds of 90kmh (at the 80kmh sections), and
speeds of 100kmh and more at the stretches of the expressways with
a speed limit of 90kmh !!!
What is the monthly incidence of major and minor accidents along
such roads and expressways ? When compared with the daily volume of
traffic that is handled, are such incidents below the average for
such heavily used roadways and expressways found in the 'FIRST
WORLD' ?
Accidents are always shocking and heart breaking, but what are the
causes of the accidents ?
Accidents are not always the result of 'over
speeding' - as these can also be attributed to the manner in which
driving skills are poorly developed and taught; and some of our
Singapore roads/expressways are designed and built to cause
accidents.
Singapore Drivers are taught the basic of driving, and given a year
probation before being confirmed a 'permanent' licence; and yet
some 'newbies' have abstained from driving during the first year -
so as to 'pass safely' through the probation period, then head back
to driving school for familiarisation before venturing
further.
ADVANCE DRIVING SKILL is not further taught to new drivers - in
handling speeds and skids, cornering, approaching and exiting a
bend on the road or expressways.
Most of the Drivers of 'AUTOMATIC' cars are not informed that when
driving at speed around the bend, they will need to MANUALLY SLOW
DOWN the car by either stepping the brakes, or MANUALLY SHIFT DOWN
- from 'D' to '3' or '2' position on the gear shift.
The Automatic Car DO NOT shift down automatically
and DO NOT sense the car negotiating a bend; and neither can any
Auto-car sense trouble going round the bend - (the poor design of a
road bend is another subject, see below).
The materials used for road surface on some sections of Singapore
roads are questionable. Most of the paintwork - that marked the
lanes - will become invisible with the rain (and becomes worst when
it happens at night).
The manner in which the roads are designed and built have caused
drivers to 'fight against natural forces, especially at road curves
when the road is sloping or banking away from the apex of the
curve, and not allowing the road user to bank 'naturally into the
curve'.
To those who are uninitiated and unfamiliar with 'high speed'
driving, such curves and roads - that embank into the wrong
directions - are death traps.
Putting up speed cameras does not help to prevent speeding, but
will merely cause traffic bottle necks to occur at about 1
kilometer before the camera location, and the vehicles will gather
speed again about 100 meters after passing the cameras.
Road disciplines are poorly enforced on Singapore roads and
expressways, when slower drivers (trucks, vans, cars, motorcyles)
are hogging the fast lane and also the middle lane of most major
roads and expressways.
Instead of maintaining lane discipline, how many times have we seen
the 'Motorbike Cops' enjoying the privilege of high speed - as if
to catch some imaginary person some 3 kilometers
ahead (as if he could keep the party within sight )
?
It seems that LTA and the Traffic Cops are obssessed with
controlling speed limits, to the extent that they will forget about
lane discipline and the road conditions of the various vehicles on
the road.
How many vehicles have we seen on Singapore roads that have no red
tail lights, one or both head lamps blinked out. signal indicators
that do not work ?
The Ministry of Transport, LTA, Traffic Police and the R.O.V.
should all work out a system that MAXIMISE the use of Expressways
and Roadways.
They should allow vehicles to move at the 'maximum' safest
speed at the DIFFERENT HOURS of the day or night, and
allow the Driver's judgment of the road conditions to move at a
speed higher then the speed limit - and hold him responsible for
any consequences of his decision.
They should consider making it an offense for any lead car to be
permanently in that position - in front of a column of cars - for
longer then 3 kilometers.
This will force 'road hogs' - who believe that they are within the
speed limit, and allow them to hold the lead position and obstruct
other road users - who may make risky moves out of frustration
.
In this manner the Government and its agencies will not make
CRIMINALS out of the larger numbers of the Singapore Road Users,
who cannot possibly follow the Speed Limits that are
UNREALISTICALLY SET for cars that are designed in
the 1950s through the 1970s.
