I'm not sure if neglecting the mindset of Singaporeans is being
realistic or not..
Firstly it is absolutely untrue that "the rest of Singapore are
coping well with DDs". I can tell u that with the exception of a
few svcs like 241, 291, 225, all other svcs have faced CHAOTIC
situations with DDs (empty upper decks, clogging inside the bus,
immensely long layover times due to clogging, and then severe
delays due to that, to name a few..) And for the svcs I've named
they all either do not ply intermediate MRT stops, or have far
distances between stops.
Next. You talk about flexibility. I ask you: is restricting and
fixating into only ONE type, of ONE design, of ONE make of buses
for ALL TYPES of bus services in Singapore what you call "
flexibility"?! I shudder at your definition. I think that true
flexibility only exists when operators train themselves to be able
to handle multiple types of buses at once and have more options to
deploy each type of buses to what suits each svc best. It is not
having a uniform make across the board. That limits service
optimisation, especially when in Singapore it is neither all-trunk
not all-feeder.
I feel that it is unfair that you chose to find fault with
removing bendies being the solution to messed up scheduling, at the
exact same period of time where LTA has also began rolling many
other measures to deal with scheduling, most notably the BSRF,
which happened on the same year SMRT first procured DDs. Logically
speaking, when placed side by side the problems bendies may pose
for scheduling are negligible to that of DDs since crowding in the
interchange happens during turnaround time, which does not affect
travelling time for the commuters. Even in the worst case where
there may be congestion near the entrance, it is measly compared to
the severe human gridlock that happens so much often along the
journey for the DDs, DURING REVENUE SERVICE TIME.
I guess the real solution to this is, as you have aptly pointed
out, to also be flexible in managing these short haul routes
themselves. Granted, I concede that some services may be able to
cope on the borderline with DDs pumped in. These are the services
where boarding and alighting will most likely not concurrently
happen on a large scale, services like 800. Generally, the feeder
services. For intratowns, however, this will definitely not work
until the concept DD comes in. Look at how many times they stop ag
the MRT. 812 TWICE. 913 THRICE, of which twice is at an
intermediate stop. Human gridlock are bound to happen, and THIS is
what REALLY cause scheduling problems. TL,DR: Some svcs can DD,
others just absolutely no. I'd very much rather the habits stay on
longer for the intratowns, than for the DDs to come in and open a
big can of worms.
Neglecting the mindset of
Singaporeans or neglecting the mindset of a small group of bus
enthusists? If Singaporeans are really neglected, then why more bus
services are already improved so much since BSEP and GCM
started?
Instead of keep complaining about how chaotic for some feeders are
using double deckers, why not you as a bus enthusist, do something
to encourage people to go upstairs instead? As an ambassdor to
encourage people to go upstairs, or give more suggestions to the
operators or the authories to encourage people to go upstairs,
since it has been proven that it is possible that people can go
upstairs after some time with the examples of services you gave. No
doubt that other areas' feeders may have some problems, it is not
as bad as those with bendies in the interchanges. Shorter buses
have the flexibity to create a break in between buses, which will
allow buses blocked in the queue to pass through into another lane.
This is not in the case where long queues of bendies which buses
are stuck in berths, parking lots, etc. And this is proven through
my observations before and after BSEP/GCM.
The funny thing is that you don't even want to understand the point
of the flexibility that I am conveying. Flexibility in the
Singapore bus operations context means less congestions, more
space, lesser long bus queues and shorter buses to allow more
maneuverability within the limited areas in the bus interchanges,
depots and bus stops, because Singapore, land scarce. Freeing up
more space means more buses can park in depots and interchanges,
providing more new bus services, improving frequencies of the
current ones. And all these are done by LTA and proven to improve
overall bus services greatly in Singapore in these recent
years.
Not the kind of flexibility of
choosing more lengths of buses to use as a more important context,
because again it has been tested and proven that shorter 12-13m
buses are better in deployments, because operators have more buses
to play in flexibility, in terms of shifting some buses from
service A to service B if service B has higher demands or demanded
better frequencies during peak hours and then shift these buses
back to service A once the peak timings are over, OR having more
buses to introduce another new bus service to ease the loads of
services A and B. This would be a less stressful task with an
interchange that can, say, park 30 12m buses for bus operators.
What's the value add to learn more kinds of buses to drive if the
interchange itself is so congested that buses can hardly move
within the interchange and there are so few services for BCs to
rotate around? If you tell me the flexibiltiy for drivers to know
more than one bus service to drive, then I agree with
you.
In the past years, many people find faults of SMRT with screwed up
frequencies, not enough bus services, etc and overall screwed up
bus operations under SMRT till the extend that SMRT even wants to
give up bus operations. Since BSEP/GCM with the removal of many
bendies while giving more buses to SBST and SMRT, SMRT bus services
have really improved. Also tested and proven that under SBST areas,
bus service standards are better with only single and double
deckers because SBST has more buses to improve frequencies,
introduce more bus services to improve connectivity.
Sorry but you are wrong on the sccheduling. It is in fact better now because there are
more buses (and BCs) to spread the loadings and more resting times
for BCs and they are more relaxed because run times are now longer,
rather than SMRT rushed schedules in the past.
Again your assumption that
bendies only caused gridlocks at the entrance is wrong. When Yishun
temp interchange was just opened, the alighting berth is always
jammed with long bus queues all the way till Yishun Central during
peak and waiting time to alight the bus can wait as long as 7-8
mins. I haven't even included the long bus queues after the
alighting berths where most buses are stuck to find parking lots
with bendies making the queues worse with their length that blocks
the lanes and other boarding berths. But with more than half of the bendies scrapped
by end 2016, the long queues of buses waiting at the alighting
berths are almost non existent nowadays and the interchange can
park more buses, plus more new service in Yishun after so many
years. Woodlands is not better, especially
at the alighting berths, with the trailers blocking lane by lane
other than the berths.
While you can argue that double
deckers can cause gridlocks by people alighting but the effects are
certainly negligible compared to empty bendy buses forming long
queues and blocking the way of other buses with their inflexible
lengths and create a traffic congestion within the interchange
itself. Fact is that situations in interchanges with only single
and double deckers are still better than with bendies, tested and
proven by SBST for decades and SMRT after BSEP/GCM. And I
would like SMRT to continue this way rather than the old
SMRT.
So it would be more wise that LTA to remove the bendies and let
operators like SMRT to improve its bus services instead which is
more important, like what it is doing now. If really some feeder is
not effective with double deckers deployed, then the bus operators
can instead have more single deckers to have the flexibilty to deal
with the crowds with better frequencies, OR even better, introduce
a new bus service to balance out the loads of the feeder while
providing more links to the commuters. That is the kind of
flexibility that will benefit all. I do agree that LTA needs to
roll out the 12.8m concept double deckers on the feeders or even
the 3 door single deckers as soon as possible.
This is what they are heading.
Want to write to LTA if you do not like the changes, but please do
so in a more thoughtful manner if you want a better answer from
them. We are already lucky that Singapore has brought in proper
buses, and the likes of Citaro and B9TLs are already considered
good buses if you compare to buses with the neighbouring countries.
Want LTA to buy all MIC buses in future? Don't know why people can
keep complaining over such trival matters. Normal commuters won't
even notice or care less if it is a swing out or slide out plug
doors, as long as they can open or close, or even care of the
transmission is ZF or Voith as long as BCs don't have to struggle
with manual gears. If you are so keen on fine tuning of vehicles,
go get yourself a car. You can tune or do whatever that satisfy
your needs with your own car.
Look, this is what LTA and other agencies, the country, the
government is heading,compacting space and squeezing more
people, in this small country.
Many people are unhappy with the overcrowding in Singapore since
there is less space for each and everyone of us. Many have
different perspectives of unhappiness over GCM, even myself though
feel that bus services do improved, but I am unhappy with the
eyesore green livery on all the buses, instead of their respective
liveries.
Unless you can lobby all
Singaporeans to vote against the incumbant, make the population
reduced to 4.5 million, else suck it up and accept the fact that
they are breaking up into smaller compact flexible spaces to move
more efficiently and providing smaller cramped living spaces, in
order to squeeze more people in this country.