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Great, more gantries

Like many others, my mother and I were astounded to see the new Toa Payoh ERP gantry the other day. I remember that sometime ago, some official guy said that they take great care in working out the location of gantries and they wouldn't want to make people pay ERP charges just driving to the market or something like that. Well, looks like some people may have to start paying while driving to the market now. And going to school. Or to work. Apparently, this and the other latest gantries will only be used if necessary. I.e. if the traffic flow goes below a certain speed. Ya, sure, like they will put a gantry there and not use it at all.

Earlier this week, there was also this report of some official statements about the ERP and a telephone survey the ST did about the ERP. Here are a couple of astounding findings:

1. 'Fewer than half of all motorists pass through ERP gantries on their way to work' (based on 295 people interviewed). Duh. We don't all stay or work in the same places, what.

2. '... higher prices (ERP rates) are not enough to scare most motorists away'. Duh again.

And some astounding statements:

1. The LTA said there were 'general improvements in traffic speeds' after the increase in ERP rates (last November). Traffic was going within the 'optimal speed range' of 45-65kmh. Traffic on 'secondary' roads was also within the optimal range of 20-30kmh. I've forgotten how they arrived at the 'optimal' speed for peak hour traffic but if I had to drive at 20-30kmh to work on a daily basis, boy, will I be grumpy by the time I get there. By the way, three-quarters of the 295 people did not agree that peak hour traffic had improved.

2. The head of the GPC for Transport said that 'Singapore should improve its public transport network to help those who cannot afford to drive'. Tell us about it. Haven't people been saying that we need improvement for years? Anyway, isn't the idea to make public transport such a viable option that even those who can afford to drive wouldn't mind switching to the bus or MRT sometimes or all the time?

Also on road issues, I really think people shouldn't be driven around in lorries, even if there are fewer than 20 people on them or whatever. So what if no one was killed in yesterday's accidents? 53 were injured, which means that 53 people could have died... I also notice that many of the people driving these lorries are rather reckless. Even when driving during peak hours and on expressways...

Picture from here.
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