Whitecvt Clutched May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 (edited) Public transport can be better than cars if... By Maria Almenoar BUSES AND TRAINS Experts' suggestions: Each road here should have no more than two bus services, and commuters should be encouraged to make transfers even if it is a 'pain'. This will increase the connectivity and frequency of buses, said Dr Paul Barter, Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. The transport policy expert is also in favour of fewer direct bus services, a move that probably will not go down well with commuters here. 'If you have three start and three end points, a direct system would need nine bus services. But with a central node where commuters transfer, you need only three services,' he pointed out. In Bogota, Colombia, commuters prefer buses to trains. The bus system, called the TransMilenio, consists of numerous elevated stations in the centre of a main avenue. A dedicated bus lane on each side of the station allows express buses to pass through on one side without stopping, while regular bus services stop on the other side of the station. Speaking at yesterday's forum, former mayor of Bogota Enrique Penalosa said buses can serve commuters as efficiently as trains. In some cases, buses may even be more efficient and operate at a fraction of the cost of a subway system. Singapore's plan for trains and buses: The Government will double the rail network from 138km now to 278km by 2020. Improvements in bus services are planned too, with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) taking over the central planning of bus routes from the two rival operators later this year. By next year, the penalty for making transfers will also be completely removed to encourage commuters to make more bus-train-bus connections to get to their destinations. BICYCLES Experts' suggestions: Pedestrian and bicycle paths form the backbone of Bogota's transport network. Since building these paths, the number of cyclists in the city has shot up tremendously. To encourage more people to cycle, Mr Penalosa suggested that bicycles be given priority and protection on the roads. He added that bicycle spaces should be made available in carparks. Dr Barter believes that Singapore 'does not know what it is doing when it comes to bicycles' and should ask for help from experts in the Netherlands where there is an extensive network of cycling tracks and many cyclists. 'If we do this well, people in suits will ride bicycles,' he said, adding that the weather here is not a deterrent to cycling as he sees 'hundreds' of bicycles parked outside the MRT station in Tampines. This is why he believes that the Park and Ride scheme, which encourages car owners to park near an MRT station and hop on a train, should be scrapped in favour of one that promotes cycling. Singapore's plan for bicycles: Pasir Ris, Sembawang, Taman Jurong, Tampines and Yishun will get about 10km of cycling tracks each. More bicycle parking facilities will also be built at selected MRT stations. CARS Experts' suggestions: Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) should be valid for a fixed distance, say 50,000km, rather than for 10 years, suggested Dr Barter. This 'pay as you use' approach would discourage car ownership in Singapore. 'When motorists pay such high prices for their cars, they will instinctively want to use them as much as possible till their COEs expire,' he explained. A distance-based charge would remove the urge to maximise the use of their cars. He also suggested increasing parking charges to reflect the value of real estate in the area rather than having flat rates for public parking, regardless of whether the lot is in the city centre or suburb. Singapore's approach to cars: To control the vehicle population, the number of COEs available is linked to the number of cars scrapped. Recently, the Government cut the COE supply in a bid to slow down the growth of the vehicle population. There is also a gradual move away from ownership taxes towards more usage charges, as can be seen in the extension of the Electronic Road Pricing network. Source: http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Motor...510-140405.html what a load of BullSh*t ! Can you guys imagine bankers and all those suits cycling around Shenton? And if they really wanted to discourage car ownership, wouldnt the BEST way be just to make COE back to the highs of 30-40k ? there weren't congestions back then like today :) and what the crap is with each road having no more than 2 buses!!! hey if we had 100k COES next month onwards than perhaps this is possible Edited May 10, 2009 by Whitecvt ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutty 4th Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 "Experts"... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonicwater Neutral Newbie May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 Man... this is a load of bull. We can all move in to Malaysia as PR, buy their Malaysian registered cards and drive back in so that we don't give two hoots about this load of bull if it happens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mits_jc 5th Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 Are the so-called experts on crack? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickman Neutral Newbie May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 here is my pet peeve with buses in singapore.. i used to take bus to work and it is a 20min bus ride away. guess how long is my usual wait for the bus? 20mins. 1 to 1 rate of waiting to sitting in bus. do our friends in LTA even take public transport? world class my ... PWN! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ev0lutionz Clutched May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 I ride to sch and i take 8mins. I take a bus to sch and i take almost half an hour including walking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 Live at the bottom of the well and be a frog lah, no need transport. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Espire 1st Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 I would like to point out to that so called EXPERT that... we are talking about a different breed of people over here... the most KIASI, KIASU, KIABO in the world... how could you just take anything that is being practiced somewhere else and make it in ur speech... Now I doubt the creditability of that well-claimed policy school. Next, if the measures are implemented... we should really start questioning ourselves.. do we still need a multi-million ministars panel that continue to policy sillypore... jus based on copy and paste strategy that works in other countries regardless of the nature well being of people in each... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drive_carcar Clutched May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 For once, may the mods give me some chocolate bars for what I am about to say.... F**K the experts from all possible directions. I'm gonna tie him on an ERP gantry, run him over with a double decker bus, get the best doctors in the world to save his live. ... ... and run him over again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amortifiedpenguin Clutched May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 For once, may the mods give me some chocolate bars for what I am about to say.... F**K the experts from all possible directions. I'm gonna tie him on an ERP gantry, run him over with a double decker bus, get the best doctors in the world to save his live. ... ... and run him over again. seconded. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturtles 6th Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 Public transport can be better than cars if... By Maria Almenoar BUSES AND TRAINS Experts' suggestions: Each road here should have no more than two bus services, and commuters should be encouraged to make transfers even if it is a 'pain'. This will increase the connectivity and frequency of buses, said Dr Paul Barter, Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. The transport policy expert is also in favour of fewer direct bus services, a move that probably will not go down well with commuters here. 'If you have three start and three end points, a direct system would need nine bus services. But with a central node where commuters transfer, you need only three services,' he pointed out. In Bogota, Colombia, commuters prefer buses to trains. The bus system, called the TransMilenio, consists of numerous elevated stations in the centre of a main avenue. A dedicated bus lane on each side of the station allows express buses to pass through on one side without stopping, while regular bus services stop on the other side of the station. Speaking at yesterday's forum, former mayor of Bogota Enrique Penalosa said buses can serve commuters as efficiently as trains. In some cases, buses may even be more efficient and operate at a fraction of the cost of a subway system. Singapore's plan for trains and buses: The Government will double the rail network from 138km now to 278km by 2020. Improvements in bus services are planned too, with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) taking over the central planning of bus routes from the two rival operators later this year. By next year, the penalty for making transfers will also be completely removed to encourage commuters to make more bus-train-bus connections to get to their destinations. BICYCLES Experts' suggestions: Pedestrian and bicycle paths form the backbone of Bogota's transport network. Since building these paths, the number of cyclists in the city has shot up tremendously. To encourage more people to cycle, Mr Penalosa suggested that bicycles be given priority and protection on the roads. He added that bicycle spaces should be made available in carparks. Dr Barter believes that Singapore 'does not know what it is doing when it comes to bicycles' and should ask for help from experts in the Netherlands where there is an extensive network of cycling tracks and many cyclists. 'If we do this well, people in suits will ride bicycles,' he said, adding that the weather here is not a deterrent to cycling as he sees 'hundreds' of bicycles parked outside the MRT station in Tampines. This is why he believes that the Park and Ride scheme, which encourages car owners to park near an MRT station and hop on a train, should be scrapped in favour of one that promotes cycling. Singapore's plan for bicycles: Pasir Ris, Sembawang, Taman Jurong, Tampines and Yishun will get about 10km of cycling tracks each. More bicycle parking facilities will also be built at selected MRT stations. CARS Experts' suggestions: Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) should be valid for a fixed distance, say 50,000km, rather than for 10 years, suggested Dr Barter. This 'pay as you use' approach would discourage car ownership in Singapore. 'When motorists pay such high prices for their cars, they will instinctively want to use them as much as possible till their COEs expire,' he explained. A distance-based charge would remove the urge to maximise the use of their cars. He also suggested increasing parking charges to reflect the value of real estate in the area rather than having flat rates for public parking, regardless of whether the lot is in the city centre or suburb. Singapore's approach to cars: To control the vehicle population, the number of COEs available is linked to the number of cars scrapped. Recently, the Government cut the COE supply in a bid to slow down the growth of the vehicle population. There is also a gradual move away from ownership taxes towards more usage charges, as can be seen in the extension of the Electronic Road Pricing network. Source: http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Motor...510-140405.html what a load of BullSh*t ! Can you guys imagine bankers and all those suits cycling around Shenton? And if they really wanted to discourage car ownership, wouldnt the BEST way be just to make COE back to the highs of 30-40k ? there weren't congestions back then like today :) and what the crap is with each road having no more than 2 buses!!! hey if we had 100k COES next month onwards than perhaps this is possible Actually, I'd agree with the policy think tanker. He is absolutely right on human nature, or at least, singaporean nature. Tax on usage will discourage people from using cars for less important function, ie. the provision shop a few blocks away. Bankers, with the need to keep up the image will still drive. However, this policy does not eliminate the need for ERP, which is the root of all artificial congestion problems. In fact, it goes hand in hand, and it hurts peasants badly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shull Turbocharged May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 on the COE for 50k km part.. siao..then those doing sales or what..every yr buy COE ah? and what about going over to msia? each trip up and down genting smelly smelly 1000km liao.. Espert my ARSE..can't even THINK!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetabout777 1st Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 Experts' suggestions: Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) should be valid for a fixed distance, say 50,000km, rather than for 10 years, suggested Dr Barter. This 'pay as you use' approach would discourage car ownership in Singapore. Didn't quite understand though. I always thought that the policy was to encourage ownership, but reduce usage. Why is this expert suggesting the 'pay as you use' scheme to discourage car ownership then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porche 5th Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 we r paying idiots to teach the elites again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetabout777 1st Gear May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 BICYCLES Experts' suggestions: Pedestrian and bicycle paths form the backbone of Bogota's transport network. Since building these paths, the number of cyclists in the city has shot up tremendously. To encourage more people to cycle, Mr Penalosa suggested that bicycles be given priority and protection on the roads. He added that bicycle spaces should be made available in carparks. Dr Barter believes that Singapore 'does not know what it is doing when it comes to bicycles' and should ask for help from experts in the Netherlands where there is an extensive network of cycling tracks and many cyclists. 'If we do this well, people in suits will ride bicycles,' he said, adding that the weather here is not a deterrent to cycling as he sees 'hundreds' of bicycles parked outside the MRT station in Tampines. This is why he believes that the Park and Ride scheme, which encourages car owners to park near an MRT station and hop on a train, should be scrapped in favour of one that promotes cycling. Singapore's plan for bicycles: Pasir Ris, Sembawang, Taman Jurong, Tampines and Yishun will get about 10km of cycling tracks each. More bicycle parking facilities will also be built at selected MRT stations. I am actually all for cycling. However, with Singapore's climate, this is almost impossible to convert someone from driving to cycling. Most probably these tracks would be used by people on weekends to cycle or jog, thus not fulfilling its original purpose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macrosszero Turbocharged May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 Just who made these people experts? They may have successfully implemented such schemes back in their home countries and other countries work, but that's not a guarantee that it works in Singapore. There are hundreds of bicycles parked at Tampines - want to guess at which strata of the population demographics their owners lie in? Its an economic decision to ride a bike. COE being distance based - come on, do you think we drive around for fun? We don't have the time, Singapore is so fast paced anyway. Moreover there's already deterrents - cost of petrol, and ERP. Suits riding bicycles? Sure - turn the CBD into one big airconditioned street mall like a larger version of Bugis Junction and it'd be workable. I challenge you to walk 2kms in your suit, blazer, tie and all, and let's see you smell yourself after that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecvt Clutched May 10, 2009 Author Share May 10, 2009 Just who made these people experts? They may have successfully implemented such schemes back in their home countries and other countries work, but that's not a guarantee that it works in Singapore. There are hundreds of bicycles parked at Tampines - want to guess at which strata of the population demographics their owners lie in? Its an economic decision to ride a bike. COE being distance based - come on, do you think we drive around for fun? We don't have the time, Singapore is so fast paced anyway. Moreover there's already deterrents - cost of petrol, and ERP. Suits riding bicycles? Sure - turn the CBD into one big airconditioned street mall like a larger version of Bugis Junction and it'd be workable. I challenge you to walk 2kms in your suit, blazer, tie and all, and let's see you smell yourself after that. Exactly about the bicycles.... those "experts" are stupid enough to see the one big difference between Singapore and Bogota. - CLIMATE Here in tropical Singapore we get crazy sunny days up to 39 degrees or even extremely wet weather. and they? oh my they sure are enjoying the perm aircon conditions at 15 degress! http://www.bogotacolombia.net/bogota-colombia-climate.htm The Bogota climate is temperate, but considerable variations in temperature can occur during the day, with warm sunny mornings and cold nights. The average temperature is around 14.4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendstar Supercharged May 10, 2009 Share May 10, 2009 on the COE for 50k km part.. siao..then those doing sales or what..every yr buy COE ah? and what about going over to msia? each trip up and down genting smelly smelly 1000km liao.. Espert my ARSE..can't even THINK!!! F*** THEM!!! BUNCH OF MORONS CB! ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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