New way to screw drivers in 2010?

[Apollo]

A SATELLITE-TRACKED electronic road-pricing system that could charge drivers for using congested roads anywhere in Singapore may be ready as early as 2010.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has just completed a series of field tests spanning over a year to determine the reliability of such infrastructure, which operates without gantries and is based on the Global Positioning System (GPS).

 

 

Those systems that we need to pay are ready by 2010. But the problem is are there new roads ready by 2010? According to the recent report, it seems like the new roads and the MRT tracks are only ready by 2020? So what alternative routes will be ready by 2010? How about charging us less for using public transport instead of increasing the bus and MRT fares？ Perhaps a one dollar charge for any route will increase the volume of people taking the public transport? I am not against setting up these gantries or new systems for environmental reasons, but the government must look at providing alternative efficient transport with the same speed. Looking at increasing the frequency of buses to every 12 minutes one bus is not enough. It should be every five minutes one bus, then more people will take public transport as there is less waiting time. For trains, in Hong Kong, you will notice that the waiting time is not more than two minutes. But in Singapore, we can wait for more than 6 minutes at times. Is that efficient? If we keep comparing with other countries, we should also compare such frequencies of buses and trains with places like Japan and Hong Kong.

Posted by: patngyt at Thu Feb 07 09:41:48 SGT 2008

[Nighthawkcity]

ya.. our train system sucks to the max!!

 

1) from my home in punggol, if you want to go AMK, how are you supposed to take train??

to Tampines?

to Eunos?

other than going harbourfront, I barely can take train to anywhere without making big detours!

 

buses.. forget abt it.. dun even know when they will come, 20mins? 30 mins? haha.. then end up in jam along with the cars.. stand until leg break, still havent really move..

 

to improve to hongkong's standard?? lets wait for another decade then decide..

[Porche]

wow lau, where u get the source from?

[Friendstar]

SCREW LTA

 

have u realized that they'r HIGHLY efficient and quick to implement INNOVATIVE ways to charge us car owners WHILE they'r slow to plan better public transport routes, reduce mrt/bus prices to provide alternative etc?

 

I applaud LTA for being coherent with our dearest PM.

[Vblaster_w211]

Defeats MM's logic when he stated the ERP may be flawed if people thinks since they spend so much on their cars, they will use it, ERP or not.

[Fitvip]

I don't know how is this going to relief the congestion on the roads? With ERP, at least motorists can make a decision whether to pay or to detour. With the new system if you are caught in a jam, you have to burn your pocket! WTH!

[Gantan88]

This is really bad news. Do you have to start this thread on Da Nian Chu1 Yi1?

 

Wonder how the GPS system differentiate between congested road due to heavy traffic and congested road due to accidents and raining.

 

Siao liao... get ready to pay and pay and pay...

[Apollo]

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_204214.html

 

Longer you stay on busy roads, the more you pay LTA has tested out such a scheme and may implement it as early as 2010 By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent

 

A SATELLITE-TRACKED electronic road-pricing system that could charge drivers for using congested roads anywhere in Singapore may be ready as early as 2010.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has just completed a series of field tests spanning over a year to determine the reliability of such infrastructure, which operates without gantries and is based on the Global Positioning System (GPS).

While many details, including pricing, have yet to be worked out, the LTA indicated that Singapore is poised to be one of the first cities in the world to use such a system.

It will rely on GPS-enabled in-vehicle units (IUs) to track where drivers go, as well as the distance they clock.

Drivers are likely to be charged based on how long they stay on the road, to better reflect their actual contribution to congestion.

It is understood that one advantage of the new system is that it can determine quickly when and where congestion is occurring, and levy charges accordingly. Motorists will also benefit: The IU can notify them that they are approaching a priced road.

 

Dr Chin Kian Keong, the LTA's transportation chief engineer, called the satellite-tracking system 'a sharper tool' for controlling congestion than the current fixed gantry system.

He told The Straits Times on Monday that system trials were completed last December, and participants were from 10 companies, five of which were local. Each fielded between four and 10 vehicles equipped with GPS hardware and software.

Using such a system, which The Straits Times learns could be ready by 2010 or 2011, could mean that ERP rates would be more commensurate with a road user's actual contribution to congestion.

The current gantry system does not differentiate between, say, a vehicle that enters the CBD and is parked in an office building all day, and one that stays on the road for hours - a taxi or delivery truck, for example - and increases congestion.

One of the main aims of the recent field tests was to determine if a gantry-less system could be as reliable as the current decade-old scheme.

LTA chief engineer Leong Kwok Weng said results showed that accuracy was 'well over' 90 per cent in open areas such as expressways, and 30 per cent in the city.

The reason for the low accuracy rate in the city is what engineers call the 'urban canyon effect', where satellite signals are reflected off high-rises, causing distorted readings.

But Dr Chin said that there are ways of working around this, including setting up signal beacons on curbs or buildings.

Using such a system will also benefit motorists, he added.

For instance, it could help drivers navigate in unfamiliar areas and alert them to congested roads and suggest alternatives.

Dr Chin said that Singapore hopes to be the first in the world to use the new system, adding that the LTA 'hopes to proceed without having to have another trial'.

London is another city which has been looking at implementing a similar scheme.

Although Germany uses a GPS-based toll system, it is only for billing heavy trucks on the autobahn.

[Albeniz]

Maybe we should start riding motorcycles and scooters instead. The road will be less congested.

[Apollo]

i fear not... it is not like having a Sirius traffic monitoring system tat feedback real time traffic condition to drivers.

 

and the GPS/ sirius is capable of offering alternative routes.

[Fitvip]

Provided advance warning is given, otherwise, when you are trapped, you have not way out!

[Apollo]

must infor u lah... wait ur monthly printout show u went pass geylang lorong areas how to exprain?

[Palmer]

If they know the time and location you are at, they would also know the distance and SPEED.

 

They can cut down speed cams and yet increase their speeding tickets. Damn...

[Apollo]

tat's y EMAS is a failure. having static display at very late stage of road entry points does not help.

 

another primary failure of highways like AYE is the lack of sufficient exit points for those alreay caught in gridlocks to filter out and reduce congestion. it's rather ridiculous of them compraining abt jams on highway. if they keep feeding more entry points, the traffic will simply build up.

[Apollo]

such things r not allowed in us and europe becos it is invasive of one's privacy.

[Gantan88]

say... went there for the famoud beef hor fun and the you2 tiao2 la

[Silver_blade]

I think people can block the GPS reception & how are they going to track? Unless they implant some device that is hidden (which may not work with GP).

 

At least for the current system, there are camera to capture the reg no. plate for those w/o signal.

[Route88]

WTF !

 

A great news for this CNY