SINGAPORE: 2007 is a year of fresh starts for the world of
transport with the new superjumbo A380, the new KallangPaya Lebar
Expressway (KPE) and a new chapter for budget carriers which have
finally been given access to the SingaporeKuala Lumpur
route.
Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first A380 after an almost
twoyear delay.
Excitement built up further when over 400 passengers, who had to
bid for their seats, took off on the first commercial A380 flight
from Singapore to Sydney on 25 October.
Barely a month later, in another groundbreaking move, it was
announced that the lucrative SingaporeMalaysia air route long held
in a near monopolistic grip by the national carriers for over 30
years would be opened to budget carriers from February next year,
on an initial limited basis.
On the home front, curious Singaporeans have been making a beeline
to check out Changi Airports S$1.75 billion Terminal 3, which will
only officially open its doors in January next year.
There are also new beginnings for the road users.
The first phase of the KPE was opened to traffic on 26 October.
When fully completed in end2008, it will have the longest road
tunnel in Southeast Asia 9km of the 12km expressway.
At the same time, another unexpected record was set for KPE over
3,000 motorists were booked for speeding on the expressway just
within the first week of operations.
There were, however, few surprises, when it came to fares and
fees.
As the KPE opened, a whole slew of new ERP charges from new
gantries to extended operational hours were announced. On the
public transport front, bus fares also went up during the annual
fare review.
The highest ERP charge now stands at S$5 for the PanIsland
Expressway (PIE) slip road into the Central Expressway (CTE) its
third ERP rate increase this year.
And from Members of Parliament to the man in the street, this has
remained a bugbear.
MP Seng Han Thong said: "I hope it will make ERP more effective
rather than make it more expensive."
"We dont mind, as vehicle owners, to pay increased ERP. But we are
frustrated when we dont see any ease of traffic flow on the CTE,"
said a resident in the Thomson division.
One other area which made Singaporeans see red is errant cabbies
who overcharge, refuse to pick up passengers or tout in nightspots
like Clarke Quay.
After a series of complaints, the authorities finally acted by
imposing higher penalties that range from increased fines and
demerit points to possible suspension of licences.
Hopefully, all of that will lead to a better 2008.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20071217/tap-317847-231650b.html