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- Dec 30, 2010
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Finally, this may be time to re-examine two even more fundamental assumptions about transport - that public transport is good and private transport is bad; and there is a need to keep increasing supply to meet demand.
To start, we can stop demonising cars, which play a crucial role in any land transport landscape.
With fast-emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles, they might even become more efficient than public transport.
With an average occupancy of 20 per cent today, a bus may not be more efficient than a car during off-peak hours. Especially when a bus consumes far more fuel and far more road space.
The second assumption of building more and more to meet demand is fallacious too.
Consider how Singapore's population has grown 110 per cent since 1981 but the number of trips (excluding cycling and walking) has spiked by more than 360 per cent to 12.5 million a day. Since people commute primarily because they have to, and not so much because they want to, this exponential growth in trips is a tad worrying.
If the trend continues at the same pace, it may not be sustainable - economically or environmentally - to keep building more infrastructure to cater to demand.
We need to find a better way. And that may require urban and transport planners sitting down together to improve accessibility, and not just mobility.
The way we live, work and play on this little red dot also needs tweaking if Singapore wants to avoid the maladies of a mega- city. And that will involve more mixed-use developments, flexi- hours, tele-commuting, walking and cycling.
Christopher Tan, ST
To start, we can stop demonising cars, which play a crucial role in any land transport landscape.
With fast-emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles, they might even become more efficient than public transport.
With an average occupancy of 20 per cent today, a bus may not be more efficient than a car during off-peak hours. Especially when a bus consumes far more fuel and far more road space.
The second assumption of building more and more to meet demand is fallacious too.
Consider how Singapore's population has grown 110 per cent since 1981 but the number of trips (excluding cycling and walking) has spiked by more than 360 per cent to 12.5 million a day. Since people commute primarily because they have to, and not so much because they want to, this exponential growth in trips is a tad worrying.
If the trend continues at the same pace, it may not be sustainable - economically or environmentally - to keep building more infrastructure to cater to demand.
We need to find a better way. And that may require urban and transport planners sitting down together to improve accessibility, and not just mobility.
The way we live, work and play on this little red dot also needs tweaking if Singapore wants to avoid the maladies of a mega- city. And that will involve more mixed-use developments, flexi- hours, tele-commuting, walking and cycling.
Christopher Tan, ST
