http://news.asiaone.com/
News/The+Straits+Times/Story/ERP+extended+to+more+roads.html


Recently, a total of 12 new ERP (Electronic road pricing) gantries were erected in many parts of Singapore such as Toa Payoh, Kallang and other roads which are often congested during peak hours. 1 new gantry would start operating in the mornings when it opens on Oct 26th at the first stretch of the New Kallang-Paya Lebar expressway while 4 others would be activated from Nov 1st. The rest of the gantries would be erected but only activated when it is deemed necessary.

The government’s rationale for opening more ERP gantries is simple, to reduce the traffic congestion in many roads in Singapore due to the increasing number of people owning cars in Singapore. From 2006-2007, there was an increase of about 7% on the number of vehicles in Singapore, the greatest jump in many years. Without the implementation of more ERP gantries, there could be serious consequences. Not only does traffic congestion affect drivers, but it would also affect Singapore’s image as a country with efficient transport due to the time wasted. Many businesses would be affected as much time would be wasted on transport alone and the efficiency would be affected. In this way, the ERP does have its benefits as it would benefit us in the long run.

However, the view from the general public might be completely contrasting. With the implementation of ERP, drivers have to “pay” a small fee ranging from $1 to $2.50 during peak hours in order to use the road. Thus, many drivers are not happy as even though this might be a small amount, it amounts to a lot of money in the long term as many people drive to work every day. On the other hand, I feel that the negatives of ERP has been greatly exaggerated by Singaporeans as this small fee is really not much to many drivers. The fact that he or she is an owner of a car proves that they are not poor and would not affect their financial income even in the long run. So why can’t they afford a small fee from ERP?

ERP is not the only way to solve the problem of road congestion in Singapore. In fact, has the implementation of ERP really solved the problem? Last year, the increase of ERP rates has resulted in many drivers detouring to other roads to avoid the payment. However, this was only short term as many of these roads became congested soon afterwards as drivers feel that the fuel usage of using taking such detours would even be more than the amount that they have to pay through ERP.

Therefore, a better solution could be the construction of new roads to ease the traffic congestions in certain roads. Perhaps with the construction of other efficient roads, drivers would not be congested on 1 road. In the long term, this would allow drivers other alternatives and ease the traffic congestion during peak hours. However, I do understand the shortcomings on this problem. The government might not be willing to construct such roads due to the fact that it would be costly and also due to the lack of land space in Singapore.

In conclusion, although ERP does have its advantages, it might yet to be the best solutions to the traffic congestion in Singapore. After all, Albert Einstein once said that “When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

Never Give Up!!!

Samson

6:13 PM