Esplanade Roads close for
Marina Bay Countdown
Motorists are to avoid the following roads this Sunday evening as
they'll be closed for the Marina Bay Countdown.
The roads are Esplanade Drive and Esplanade Bridge - they'll be
closed from 8pm to 1.30am.
Also affected - the lane on Raffles Avenue that's nearest to the
Esplanade.
That'll be closed from 5pm to 2am.
Public transport services will be extended.
The last train leaves City Hall at 1.30am.
SBS Transit's Nite Owl bus service will run till 4am and SMRT's
NightRider service till 4.35am.
Can we expect more
improvements for public transport system in
2007?
Getting more people to use public buses and trains is one of the
aims of the Transport Ministry in the coming year.
This as the ministry undertakes a comprehensive review of its Land
Transport Policy.
Transport reporter Lin Jiamei with more.
2006 saw several improvements in the transport scene as Singapore
moves towards to having a world class transportation system.
There was the revision of the service standards for public bus
services, to ensure better reliability and safety for the
commuters.
Plans for a new transport roadmap were also announced, with a
comprehensive review to be undertaken in 2007.
This would take stock of the 1996 White Paper on Singapore's Land
Transport Policy.
And one area which the ministry will look into in the coming year -
getting more people on board the public transport system.
However it may not be a task that will see immediate results.
Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Dr
Paul Barter.
"Majority of people in Singapore are getting more and more choosy.
People expect excellance and they expect it to be at a decent price
and they expect it to be convenient. You can't provide them with a
basic public transport anymore and say thats your alternative to
having a car. They will say that alternative is not good enough. We
want a really excellant public transport system."
But for a start commuters could just find safer trains and buses
next year.
Earlier in March the Land Transport Authority indicated that the
majority of buses and trains could be equipped with security
cameras as early as 2007.
And it started a trial run in June.
So can we expect more improvements for the public transport system
next year?