Chinatown retail sales drop by up to half since start of ERP
By Hoe Yeen Nie/Lian Cheong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 August 2008 2036 hrs
SINGAPORE: It has been slightly more than a month since evening Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)charges were imposed on vehicles driving into the area around the Singapore River.
While traffic speeds have gone up, businesses in nearby Chinatown have suffered since the ERP kicked in on 7 July.
In a recent survey by the Chinatown Business Association, some shopping centres reported their sales fell by up to 50 per cent.
Tourist landmarks such as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Chinatown Heritage Centre and even good hawker fare could not lure the crowds back.
For example, popular Maxwell Food Centre has seen a 40 per cent decline in business.
The Chinatown Business Association had expected customers to react in the short-term to the new evening charges, which cost up to S$2.
But it is now worried that things have not returned to normal after several weeks.
It says the situation does not sit well with the government's earlier S$90 million plan to inject more vibrancy into the area.
Ho Nai Chuen, vice-chairman of Chinatown Business Association, said: "If you talk about the long run to smoothen the traffic conditions, it's good for Singapore. On the other hand, for small and medium-sized businesses, short-term sustainability is even more important than the long-term. If they cannot sustain in the short-term, I think there's no future for them."
At the recently-renovated Chinatown Complex, only six in ten shops are occupied.
And most food stalls prefer to close early, citing the lack of evening customers.
The association plans to send its members' feedback to the transport authorities soon.
Among its suggestions is an appeal to re-look the operational hours and pricing structure of the gantries.
- CNA/ir
so which million dollars sucker said ERP helps to improve business?
By Hoe Yeen Nie/Lian Cheong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 August 2008 2036 hrs
SINGAPORE: It has been slightly more than a month since evening Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)charges were imposed on vehicles driving into the area around the Singapore River.
While traffic speeds have gone up, businesses in nearby Chinatown have suffered since the ERP kicked in on 7 July.
In a recent survey by the Chinatown Business Association, some shopping centres reported their sales fell by up to 50 per cent.
Tourist landmarks such as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Chinatown Heritage Centre and even good hawker fare could not lure the crowds back.
For example, popular Maxwell Food Centre has seen a 40 per cent decline in business.
The Chinatown Business Association had expected customers to react in the short-term to the new evening charges, which cost up to S$2.
But it is now worried that things have not returned to normal after several weeks.
It says the situation does not sit well with the government's earlier S$90 million plan to inject more vibrancy into the area.
Ho Nai Chuen, vice-chairman of Chinatown Business Association, said: "If you talk about the long run to smoothen the traffic conditions, it's good for Singapore. On the other hand, for small and medium-sized businesses, short-term sustainability is even more important than the long-term. If they cannot sustain in the short-term, I think there's no future for them."
At the recently-renovated Chinatown Complex, only six in ten shops are occupied.
And most food stalls prefer to close early, citing the lack of evening customers.
The association plans to send its members' feedback to the transport authorities soon.
Among its suggestions is an appeal to re-look the operational hours and pricing structure of the gantries.
- CNA/ir
so which million dollars sucker said ERP helps to improve business?
