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[h=2]Transport woes – and where to go from here[/h]
September 28th, 2012 |
Author: Contributions
Over the years, what I have observed when commuting on the MRT train during the morning peak hours is probably the same as what Singaporeans have observed – trains and stations are gradually getting more packed and crowded.
Some days ago, at about 8.15 am, I “achieved” a personal “record” when I waited past eight trains before being able to board the ninth, and the queue outside each door stayed at a consistent length of about three to four metres.
This is the North-South Line, between the highly populated housing estates spanning from Woodlands to Toa Payoh MRT stations.
To give credit, the train arrived once every minute, which was an improvement from years ago when it used to arrive about three to four minutes.
Despite so, signs of increased numbers at stations reveal that these numbers could have outstripped the increased frequency of trains.
According to a Facebook survey done among my friends, one could only board the fourth train in the same morning at Yishun and another waits past about five to six trains in Tanjong Pagar in the evenings.
Another friend who lives in Hougang has no issues boarding his first sighted train at North-East Line despite a comparatively lesser crowd, but faced the problem when he last stayed at Yishun area few years ago.
Safely speaking, waiting past four to six trains during peak hours has become a norm in Singapore.
On the road, similar situations can be seen for certain buses services where buses during peak hours are packed and drive off, leaving commuters to wait for the next.
However, buses have showed little signs of improvement in frequency, as it is normal to expect the waiting time for the next bus during peak hours to be same as the waiting time during off-peak hours – around 10 to 15 minutes.
Worse, the next bus could be packed and drive off as well.
All these could result in growing frustrations among Singaporeans, who are feeling the effects of an increasingly populated country.
They clock in one of the longest working hours in the world, according to several international surveys – of which one was done by the International Labour Organisation in 2010 – and could find their transport woes gnawing further into their time taken to get home and rest after a hard day’s work.
The transport issue is believed to be one of the three major issues, along with housing and immigration, that may have caused the ruling party votes in the last general election in 2011.
At the presidential election in the same year, the candidate receiving the clearest government endorsement whiskered through to a razor-thin victory and earlier this year, problems plaguing the main opposition party merely produced a negligible 2% swing at a by-election.
These could be signs that all is not well in the country when more from the governing party’s traditional support base begin to shift from voting along local to national lines.
According to the latest report released by the Department of Statistics this week, total population stands at 5.31 million, with 3.29 million or around 62% Singapore citizens.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently stated that Singapore could accommodate a population of six million in time to come.
But structural-wise, the MRT system may not have been built to cater for a population exceeding five or six million; Singapore had only three million people – half of PM’s projection – when the first phase of the system was completed in 1990.
The inadequate number and width of escalators and staircases per station, walking space, width of walkways, size of boarding platforms, or even the maximum load capacity of trains, may not be able to accommodate such a population size.
It is not implausible that turning this around may practically require significant reconstruction or rebuilding of most existing MRT stations in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the government may consider changing its mindset that an abundant population must necessarily lead to significant economic benefits.
This requires a fine-tuning of its immigration policies so that it can give itself time to resolve this issue before bringing in more new citizens and residents.
For all we know, given that there are also economic costs applicable to an overcrowded city – as well as social costs – the reverse could be true.
.
Melvin Tan
Over the years, what I have observed when commuting on the MRT train during the morning peak hours is probably the same as what Singaporeans have observed – trains and stations are gradually getting more packed and crowded.
Some days ago, at about 8.15 am, I “achieved” a personal “record” when I waited past eight trains before being able to board the ninth, and the queue outside each door stayed at a consistent length of about three to four metres.
This is the North-South Line, between the highly populated housing estates spanning from Woodlands to Toa Payoh MRT stations.
To give credit, the train arrived once every minute, which was an improvement from years ago when it used to arrive about three to four minutes.
Despite so, signs of increased numbers at stations reveal that these numbers could have outstripped the increased frequency of trains.
According to a Facebook survey done among my friends, one could only board the fourth train in the same morning at Yishun and another waits past about five to six trains in Tanjong Pagar in the evenings.
Another friend who lives in Hougang has no issues boarding his first sighted train at North-East Line despite a comparatively lesser crowd, but faced the problem when he last stayed at Yishun area few years ago.
Safely speaking, waiting past four to six trains during peak hours has become a norm in Singapore.
On the road, similar situations can be seen for certain buses services where buses during peak hours are packed and drive off, leaving commuters to wait for the next.
However, buses have showed little signs of improvement in frequency, as it is normal to expect the waiting time for the next bus during peak hours to be same as the waiting time during off-peak hours – around 10 to 15 minutes.
Worse, the next bus could be packed and drive off as well.
All these could result in growing frustrations among Singaporeans, who are feeling the effects of an increasingly populated country.
They clock in one of the longest working hours in the world, according to several international surveys – of which one was done by the International Labour Organisation in 2010 – and could find their transport woes gnawing further into their time taken to get home and rest after a hard day’s work.
The transport issue is believed to be one of the three major issues, along with housing and immigration, that may have caused the ruling party votes in the last general election in 2011.
At the presidential election in the same year, the candidate receiving the clearest government endorsement whiskered through to a razor-thin victory and earlier this year, problems plaguing the main opposition party merely produced a negligible 2% swing at a by-election.
These could be signs that all is not well in the country when more from the governing party’s traditional support base begin to shift from voting along local to national lines.
According to the latest report released by the Department of Statistics this week, total population stands at 5.31 million, with 3.29 million or around 62% Singapore citizens.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently stated that Singapore could accommodate a population of six million in time to come.
But structural-wise, the MRT system may not have been built to cater for a population exceeding five or six million; Singapore had only three million people – half of PM’s projection – when the first phase of the system was completed in 1990.
The inadequate number and width of escalators and staircases per station, walking space, width of walkways, size of boarding platforms, or even the maximum load capacity of trains, may not be able to accommodate such a population size.
It is not implausible that turning this around may practically require significant reconstruction or rebuilding of most existing MRT stations in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the government may consider changing its mindset that an abundant population must necessarily lead to significant economic benefits.
This requires a fine-tuning of its immigration policies so that it can give itself time to resolve this issue before bringing in more new citizens and residents.
For all we know, given that there are also economic costs applicable to an overcrowded city – as well as social costs – the reverse could be true.
.
Melvin Tan
