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Sep 26, 2008
5 gantries won't be built
ERP rates in several areas will be cut by $1
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent
Five out of six new electronic road-pricing gantries scheduled to be up in November will not be built. -- PHOTO: NEWPAPER
THE Government has put the brakes on its ambitious ERP expansion plans.
Five out of six new electronic road-pricing gantries scheduled to be up in November will not be built.
The Land Transport Authority on Friday said that there is now no need to put up gantries in Commonwealth Avenue, Jalan Bukit Merah, Alexandra Road and Ayer Rajah Expressway (westbound).
'Based on LTA's traffic monitoring, traffic speeds at these four locations have risen to within the optimum range in recent months,'' an LTA spokesman said.
Observers have attributed this to high fuel prices, which have persuaded many motorists to cut down on driving. This is evident in public transport ridership figures, which are now at record levels.
A gantry planned for Serangoon Road (northbound) will not be erected either, despite below-optimal traffic speeds.
The LTA explained that it is 'working with other agencies to study improvements to the physical environment in the Little India area, which could affect the traffic situation along Serangoon Road' before deciding if ERP is necessary.
Ongoing major works to improve the Woodsville Junction has also slowed traffic flow in Serangoon Road.
The only gantry scheduled to go up in November will the one along the Pan-Island Expressway (westbound) near Eunos.
'Traffic conditions there remain below the optimal speed threshold during the morning peak hours,'' the LTA spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the LTA has completed its review of ERP rates in the city and Chinatown areas and will slash prices by $1 at several gantries.
It said traffic conditions in the city 'has shown marked improvements' since July, when gantries went up along the Singapore River and ERP city rates were raised sharply.
'In particular, traffic speeds in the Shenton Way-Chinatown cordon of the CBD are now significantly better than in the Bugis-Marina Centre cordon,'' the LTA spokesman said.
From Monday, gantries at New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road and Fullerton Road (westbound) will no longer be on between 7.30pm and 8pm.
They will only charge $1 for cars between 6pm and 7.30pm, from $2 now.
Gantries in Eu Tong Sen Street and Fullerton Road (eastbound) will charge $1 between 6pm and 7.30pm, from $2 now.
Ten gantries in the central business district will charge $1, from $2 now.
The Chinatown Business Association, which has been lobbying for a review of ERP in the Singapore River area, cheered the news.
Association general manager Victor Ong said: 'To business, definitely good news. Hopefully, this will translate to more movement in the area, and business done.
'I suppose to the general public it's good news too.''
This is the first time that the Government had pulled back on ERP implementation plans that it had announced. Even with the pause, the ERP network has grown significantly. By November, there will be 84 gantries, from fewer than 60 at the beginning of this year. However, 18 of them on the KPE are not operational. They will only be activated if traffic congestion arise.
In reply to a query from The Straits Times on earlier this month on whether the Government would rely more on COEs or ERP to manage congestion, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said: 'We cannot rely on any single measure as it will put excessive pressure on it. If we do, we will end up either with sky-high COE prices or exorbitant ERP charges. So we need to strike an appropriate balance between the vehicle population growth rate and usage charges.
'That balance will change with time, taking into account the total vehicle population and road growth then prevailing.
"As always, there is no silver bullet and a holistic approach to dealing with congestion is needed.'
Sep 26, 2008
5 gantries won't be built
ERP rates in several areas will be cut by $1
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent
Five out of six new electronic road-pricing gantries scheduled to be up in November will not be built. -- PHOTO: NEWPAPER
THE Government has put the brakes on its ambitious ERP expansion plans.
Five out of six new electronic road-pricing gantries scheduled to be up in November will not be built.
The Land Transport Authority on Friday said that there is now no need to put up gantries in Commonwealth Avenue, Jalan Bukit Merah, Alexandra Road and Ayer Rajah Expressway (westbound).
'Based on LTA's traffic monitoring, traffic speeds at these four locations have risen to within the optimum range in recent months,'' an LTA spokesman said.
Observers have attributed this to high fuel prices, which have persuaded many motorists to cut down on driving. This is evident in public transport ridership figures, which are now at record levels.
A gantry planned for Serangoon Road (northbound) will not be erected either, despite below-optimal traffic speeds.
The LTA explained that it is 'working with other agencies to study improvements to the physical environment in the Little India area, which could affect the traffic situation along Serangoon Road' before deciding if ERP is necessary.
Ongoing major works to improve the Woodsville Junction has also slowed traffic flow in Serangoon Road.
The only gantry scheduled to go up in November will the one along the Pan-Island Expressway (westbound) near Eunos.
'Traffic conditions there remain below the optimal speed threshold during the morning peak hours,'' the LTA spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the LTA has completed its review of ERP rates in the city and Chinatown areas and will slash prices by $1 at several gantries.
It said traffic conditions in the city 'has shown marked improvements' since July, when gantries went up along the Singapore River and ERP city rates were raised sharply.
'In particular, traffic speeds in the Shenton Way-Chinatown cordon of the CBD are now significantly better than in the Bugis-Marina Centre cordon,'' the LTA spokesman said.
From Monday, gantries at New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road and Fullerton Road (westbound) will no longer be on between 7.30pm and 8pm.
They will only charge $1 for cars between 6pm and 7.30pm, from $2 now.
Gantries in Eu Tong Sen Street and Fullerton Road (eastbound) will charge $1 between 6pm and 7.30pm, from $2 now.
Ten gantries in the central business district will charge $1, from $2 now.
The Chinatown Business Association, which has been lobbying for a review of ERP in the Singapore River area, cheered the news.
Association general manager Victor Ong said: 'To business, definitely good news. Hopefully, this will translate to more movement in the area, and business done.
'I suppose to the general public it's good news too.''
This is the first time that the Government had pulled back on ERP implementation plans that it had announced. Even with the pause, the ERP network has grown significantly. By November, there will be 84 gantries, from fewer than 60 at the beginning of this year. However, 18 of them on the KPE are not operational. They will only be activated if traffic congestion arise.
In reply to a query from The Straits Times on earlier this month on whether the Government would rely more on COEs or ERP to manage congestion, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said: 'We cannot rely on any single measure as it will put excessive pressure on it. If we do, we will end up either with sky-high COE prices or exorbitant ERP charges. So we need to strike an appropriate balance between the vehicle population growth rate and usage charges.
'That balance will change with time, taking into account the total vehicle population and road growth then prevailing.
"As always, there is no silver bullet and a holistic approach to dealing with congestion is needed.'
