Channel NewsAsia - 43 minutes
ago
SINGAPORE : There will be fewer Certificates of Entitlement for
the new quota year starting from May 2008.
The number will be cut 7.5 percent from the previous year to
115,946.
Although the reduction is widely anticipated and in line with
the effort to reduce congestion, the cut is still less than what
car dealers had been bracing for.
This and other issues related to the recent broad Land Transport
Review came up for debate in Parliament on Thursday.
Raymond Lim, Transport Minister, said: "I know, sadly, like what
MP Cynthia Phua says, not everyone says my name with affection but
that goes with the job."
In a tongue—in—cheek start, the Transport Minister acknowledged
how some recent announcements to keep traffic flowing on the
streets have not always been popular.
Jessica Tan, MP — East Coast GRC, said: "Higher costs will
definitely result in improved road usage and traffic conditions.
However, if public transport is not viable, it will only be a
matter of time before congestion resurfaces. Hence the net impact
will be increased costs."
Cynthia Phua, MP — Aljunied GRC, said: "My only hope for the
improvement of the public transport system now is the central
planning of routes. My only request is that it can done faster and
the planners must not be desktop planners. Go to the ground, take
the buses and trains, understand the needs of the different
segments of commuters, look at the whole journey."
ERP was another hot potato with Opposition MP Low Thia Khiang
wanting to know how the Ministry decides on where to set up the
gantries.
Lee Bee Wah, MP — Ang Mo Kio GRC, said: "As some of my residents
call it: "Every round pay. You turn here you pay, you turn there
you pay". Or in Malay, we say: "Pusing sini bayar, pusing sana
bayar". Perhaps this is uniquely Singapore."
On competition, Mr Lim said it was not just a numbers game.
Mr Lim said: "The key is to ensure markets are contestable and
that people can come in and bid for packages."
Turning to fares, Mr Lim said the Public Transport Council is
reviewing the fare formula, as it is supposed to do after three
years.
However, he rejected calls by some MPs for more concessions to
be given to the elderly, saying there were richer senior citizens
too.
Instead he said more targeted help for those who really needed
it was a better option.
On ERP and the worsening problem of congestion, especially after
cars became cheaper in recent years, Mr Lim’s response was: "Even
if we were to cut vehicle population growth rate to 0, you will
still need the recent ERP changes to deal with existing congestion
from the 850,000 vehicles."
As for whether there is any optimal car growth rate, Mr Lim
said, after this, the rate has been fixed to a 1.5 percent annual
increase.
But this figure is not locked in — it will be reviewed after
three years.
As for transparency, Mr Lim said ERP charges will be mounted
prominently on top of all gantries by year—end.
Mr Lim said: "So when you see that — don’t brake suddenly, just
take note of it so that the next time you know that in the next
half hour, how much it’ll cost you. Please make a considered
decision."
In the end, taking a holistic view, Mr Lim said the idea was to
ensure that as the population grows Singapore remains a city in a
garden and not city in a carpark. — CNA/ch
