<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Consider local conditions before implementing transport solutions
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Thursday's report on the future of our public transport system ('Public transport can be better than cars if...'). After reading background information on the bus rapid transit (BRT) system, I realised it may not work in Singapore's context.
�Experts suggested the BRT system and cited the South American city of Bogota in Colombia. However, I found out Bogota does not have a metro (equivalent to our MRT) system; hence the BRT was put in place as an alternative.
There are other factors that could affect feasibility.�Bogota has about 7.8 million people, or 1.7 times more than Singapore, yet its area is about�2.3 times�the size of Singapore. Hence it�would be possible for the city government to allocate space for a two-lane dedicated bus lane for its TransMilenio system.
�I noted the comment in the article that there should only be two bus services per road. However, if this were done under our current transport pattern in our densely populated new towns, it might be disastrous.
Each country has its own physical constraints that restrict certain transport solutions. Hence it is important to weigh local conditions before implementing solutions that might work in other countries. Tan Pang Soon
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Thursday's report on the future of our public transport system ('Public transport can be better than cars if...'). After reading background information on the bus rapid transit (BRT) system, I realised it may not work in Singapore's context.
�Experts suggested the BRT system and cited the South American city of Bogota in Colombia. However, I found out Bogota does not have a metro (equivalent to our MRT) system; hence the BRT was put in place as an alternative.
There are other factors that could affect feasibility.�Bogota has about 7.8 million people, or 1.7 times more than Singapore, yet its area is about�2.3 times�the size of Singapore. Hence it�would be possible for the city government to allocate space for a two-lane dedicated bus lane for its TransMilenio system.
�I noted the comment in the article that there should only be two bus services per road. However, if this were done under our current transport pattern in our densely populated new towns, it might be disastrous.
Each country has its own physical constraints that restrict certain transport solutions. Hence it is important to weigh local conditions before implementing solutions that might work in other countries. Tan Pang Soon
