Chinatown retail sales drop by up to half since start of ERP

[Silhoutte]

Channel NewsAsia - Monday, August 11

 

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080810/tap-...lf-231650b.html

 

SINGAPORE: It has been slightly more than a month since evening Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges were imposed on vehicles driving into the area around the Singapore River.

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While traffic speeds have gone up, businesses in nearby Chinatown have suffered since the ERP kicked in on July 7.

 

In a recent survey by the Chinatown Business Association, some shopping centres reported their sales fell by up to 50 per cent.

 

Tourist landmarks such as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Chinatown Heritage Centre and even good hawker fare could not lure the crowds back.

 

For example, popular Maxwell Food Centre has seen a 40 per cent decline in business.

 

The Chinatown Business Association had expected customers to react in the short

[Damienic]

Maxwell food centre biz got drop meh?? I went there two weeks ago and have such difficulty finding a parking lot..

[Silhoutte]

For Maxwell Food Center I doubt so, but the ones affected are the china town shops located along Eu Tong Sen St I believe.

[Ahliew]

"On the other hand, for small and medium

[Silhoutte]

Yeah agreed...

 

I wanna see how Lemon Lim replies...

 

I'm very very doubtful that the reply will be a satisfactory one though...

[Rickster]

All these reports will make the LteeAye look like an idiot that has just shot himself in the foot!

[Damienic]

ai yea, they will just come up with a crap reply that erp will be good in the long run for this businesses...very used to it liao..

[Rickster]

Finally, our heart's discontent is voiced out when we vote with our $.

 

Hope he will start to seriously re-think his "ERP-solve-all-problem" strategy.

[Silhoutte]

The "ERP-solve-all-problem" strategy is just an excuse that is long dated already.

 

All they want is $$$ and not a solution at all.

 

By placing this ridiculous pricing on the roads, this forces all drivers to avoid the area.

 

The only effect is just to divert the traffic but never to solve the problem at all.

 

Therefore, the ERP does not solve any problem albeit being a cash cow which however solves the need for minstar pay increase problem.

[Woolff]

Garment is solving by "cutting those part that are cancerous, cut here cut there in the end...whts happen to the body? All #$%^ up!

There is a limit each citizen can endure!

Edited August 11, 2008 by Woolff

[Peqasus]

wat to do. we drivers are like herds of cows. Lemon lim jus increase price here, price there...we obey. he mus feel shiok.

 

but the dumb thing is they should herd cows where their dollars hv trickling effect.

[Damienic]

By placing this ridiculous pricing on the roads, this forces all drivers to avoid the area.

 

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Not only this, it causes drivers to congregate near the fringes of ERP gantries..for example, rochor road which is at the fringe of the gantry along Victoria St is always very jammed packed becos of this...when you put up so many gantries like this, it will only divert the traffic to somewhere near these roads and cause major congestion in these roads...

[Will_I_Am]

I used to go Chinatown quite often for my weekly sundries shopping and makan trips. With the ERP, I have stop going there altogether as the savings I got from the cheaper price would have gone to LTA instead. By the time the ERP timing ends at 8pm, the shops are all preparing to close liao. At this rate, it's gonna be a dead town by year end.

[Curahee]

Stop ppl buy car is the best policy. Control usage is stupid.

[Ahliew]

i was surprised that they reported this on the news.

i think its a sign:

to address the current public sentiments, they might revise (read: drop the ERP rates) for a short while, even though the traffic is still as bad and jammed.

hence the report.

an elaborate wayang i reckon

Edited August 11, 2008 by Ahliew

[Nkps]

rest assured, they are aware of the situation and they are now planing to erect ERP gantry at these affected area soon so that the trafic is under control

[Silhoutte]

Basically, they are screwing up SG itself.

 

Now this whole place is a crazy place to drive around in due to ERP.

[Leclair]

Any ERP area- the first reaction is to avoid. So most drivers will siam far far away unless no choice.

 

BUt once ERP is Island wide then everyone in every business in every area will be "treated" equally. isnt that LTA GRAND MAster Plan(?!)?