LTA must be made up of a bunch of egoistics and
self-centred peeps who forever think their policies are good for
the men on the ground.
They die die dun wan to admit wrong! Me still remembered many
years back LTA insist no ads on double-decker buses saying sometime
like the buses wud lose their identity *rolleyes* and now those
stupid ads cover everything including your views outside!!
LTA also once were agsinst bollards at bus stops saying it would
impede bus commuters. And after dun know how many people got
whacked and killed then they reversed their stubborn stand and
install bollards across the island!!
And the worse is their handling of the taxi surcharges...totally
twisted logics and now manipulated by the moronic taxi drivers!
JEEEZZZZ...LTA is behaving exactly like our ruling gahmen who is
osing touch with the ground and one day sure kenna big big
like our neighbour BN!! 
LTA to tweak CBD taxi rule to ease woes @ Asiaone
16 Mar 08
ADJUSTMENTS will be made to the rule restricting where taxis can
pick up and drop off passengers in the Central Business District
(CBD) and an announcement will be made soon, Transport Minister
Raymond Lim said yesterday.
He told The Sunday Times that the Land Transport Authority's
principal consideration in imposing the rule is safety and that
this remains 'a valid consideration which we should not lose sight
of'.
'Scrapping the rule will not help in this regard. However, LTA
is taking in feedback and will make adjustments to the rule to
minimise inconvenience to both passengers and businesses,' he
said.
LTA's chief executive Yam Ah Mee said it is studying
feedback from commuters and cabbies 'very carefully' together with
taxi associations and taxi companies.
'When we implement the modifications, we seek the understanding
and support from both passengers and taxi drivers,' he said.
He did not elaborate on how the rule will be eased or when any
changes will take place.
The adjustments will come amid calls on LTA - by the public,
cabbies and the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for
Transport - to ease the unpopular rule which started on March
1.
Commuters in the CBD can now board and get off cabs only at taxi
stands and the vehicle driveways of commercial buildings. The rule
prevents taxi drivers from swerving across lanes and stopping
anywhere they please to pick up fares.
The main objective is safety, said LTA. With more bus lanes in
the business district, it will be more difficult and dangerous for
taxis to stop along the roads.
But commuters are livid that they now have to search for taxi
stands and that they cannot alight at their destinations.
The rule has been particularly a bane for the elderly and
disabled passengers, clueless tourists and cab commuters on rainy
days.
Cabbies say they are trapped in the middle. Upset passengers
often lash out at them, even storming out without paying up.
GPC for Transport chairman Cedric Foo welcomed LTA's promise to
ease the rule. He said that the elderly, disabled and people with
heavy luggage should be exempted from it. Exceptions should also be
made on rainy days.
His deputy, MP Ong Kian Min, agreed that more flexibility is
needed. 'Taxis should be allowed to stop along smaller, side roads
which have no buses travelling along them,' he said.
MP Seng Han Thong, adviser to the taxi operators' associations,
said LTA's decision to ease the rules will greatly help
cabbies.
He said cabbies have, in general, three main grouses: not enough
taxi stands in the CBD; no directional signs to help commuters find
taxi stands; and how taxis strictly cannot stop anywhere else apart
from taxi stands.
Yesterday, the six taxi associations met LTA representatives to
explain the difficulties caused by the new rule, said SMRT's taxi
association president Chia Hock Peng.
'Hopefully, the LTA will allow cabbies to let passengers alight
at their destinations as long as we don't cause danger or
inconvenience.'
Said Mr Seng: 'I hope the LTA will make the changes soon so this
issue can be resolved quickly.'
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