Although our bus routes are matured, I feel that eventually,
with new towns opening and major developments, we have to revamp
our bus routes, so that we do not have to always have new bus
services, while at the same time we can maintain a certain level of
bus connectivity.
Also, like this thread has mentioned, there is not enough space
at the bus interchanges and terminals for so many bus services.
I was wondering if we could have a Larkin Bus Terminal at the
city. Larkin Bus Terminal has up to around 87 bus parking lots. It
is around 3.65 Hectares. We can build a bus interchange of the same
size at Nicoll Highway area by re-routing Republic Avenue to create
the 3.65 Hectares of land, since that area is kinda like a wasted
space anyway.
The bus interchange at the city can have bus services that go to
every residential town and neighborhoods in Singapore. Singapore
has up to around thirty towns (including future towns). We can have
around thirty bus services, each runs along the entire city area
and connects to every neighborhood in a residential town, running
express between the city and the residential town it serves.
These bus services will then terminate at the interchanges in
the residential town they serve, or at a bus interchange/terminal
near the residential town. Likewise, this is where the reverse
direction starts, and ends at the city.
The route can be very long (up to 55km), but the travel time can
be restricted to a certain duration (up to around 90mins; 1.5hrs),
by using bus lanes, major roads, expressways and special traffic
lights.
The primary purpose is to connect to the city. The secondary
purpose is to connect every neighborhood in a town together. Every
town has bus connection to the city and every neighborhood in a
town is connected.
Although the long-distance bus services may be up to three times
slower than the MRT, it does offer a direct connection to the city.
For fast connection, one can take the MRT.
This will over-write all the bus services at Marina Centre Bus
Terminal and Shenton Way Bus Terminal. These bus terminals can then
be replaced and their land can be used for other purposes.
Whereas for the spare capacity at the bus interchange at the
city after we have around thirty bus services, we can use them to
accommodate cross-boarder bus services - operated by Malaysia's own
bus companies - to the various residential areas in Johor
Bahru.
Meanwhile, we can use the bus interchanges at the residential
towns to have bus services that run directly to every bus
interchanges in Singapore. Currently, there are around eighteen bus
interchanges. In future, there may be around five more, total
around twenty three. We can have up to around twenty two such bus
services at every bus interchange. These bus services run direct
between the bus interchanges and only call at every bus stop in the
two residential towns where the two bus interchanges are in.
A former user by the name "Path Light" used to "recommend"
(spam) such bus routes, but for my recommendation, I am going
further to recommend that every bus interchange has bus services to
every other bus interchanges in Singapore.
This, along with the direct bus services to the city, can
replace almost every basic bus service in Singapore.
I think this will bring about an overall improvement to the bus
connectivity in Singapore.
The only exception is bus services at the industrial estates,
changi airport, the zoo and the cemetery area. These areas can have
their own bus terminals to have bus services that connect to the
nearest MRT stations.
Your idea will work if there was no MRT.