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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Car prices to go even higher for 2011</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>pJUDGE2009 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>Dec-10 7:04 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>rainnix <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (9 of 12) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>41842.9 in reply to 41842.8 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>The ERP can be an effective tool to manage traffic flow. The failure is its application.
When you charge $1.50 or $2 for each entry, 95% of motorists are still going to go through that road because what they've got to do is more important than the $2. The nett result is maybe just 5% decrease in volume, but for all those motorists who went through the gantry their pockets are systematically sucked. We're not talking about 1 day use here. This is especially true in the central areas. The nett result also is that the government gets richer.
For ERP to be truly effective, the per entry charge should be something like $10 to $15. The impact will be drastic. The roads covered by this gantry will see dramatic improvement in flow. Secondary roads will see a swell in traffic volume. Roads in Central areas such as Orchard rd or Marina Bay area will benefit tremendously from this.
If LTA can calibrate this properly, the traffic flow will not have negative impact on business in the CDB area. But I think they're too scared to experiment with this for one simple reason. A drastic fall in business in the CBD area will see many tenants moving out, causing a big drop in demand for shopping & business space, resulting in depressed rental prices. DBS is probably the largest lender of office and shopping projects in the CBD. Mortgage repayment will be affected and this could lead to a downward spiral in asset valuation in the CBD areas, with a knock-on effect of banks calling for top-ups on their loans. A major disaster could ensure from raising ERP charges to $10. But anything less than that will be ineffective.
The gahmen is playing catchup in the traffic and car population management game. They should have started on the Circle Line project 5 years earlier.
They should also be building elevated expressways along the existing ones we already have. For example, the PIE is choked with traffic during the morning and evening hours. Here, $10 ERP charges will definitely smoothen traffic flow but secondary roads will choked up. LTA should build an elevated expressway for those travelling longer distances from, say, Tuas & Jurong to Bedok-Tampines-Changi. Presently, PIE has too many entry and exit points (same for all our expressways). The guy leaving his factory in Tuas going back to Bedok has to wait for the others going home to Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Johor (BKE), Thomson Rd, Steven Rd, Toa Payoh, Braddell, Serangoon, Kallang, Eunos, Ubi, before Bedok, Tampines and then Changi. Along the way, entry roads are sending in more cars from these same areas to go to eastern Singapore. What we really need is Expressway Part 2 on top of all our existing Part 1 Expressways. Of course, this will cost maybe another $20 billion. PAP gahmen would rather sit back and sell you the paper called "COE" - it makes them lots of money, and with more money they can declare more bonus for themselves.
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When you charge $1.50 or $2 for each entry, 95% of motorists are still going to go through that road because what they've got to do is more important than the $2. The nett result is maybe just 5% decrease in volume, but for all those motorists who went through the gantry their pockets are systematically sucked. We're not talking about 1 day use here. This is especially true in the central areas. The nett result also is that the government gets richer.
For ERP to be truly effective, the per entry charge should be something like $10 to $15. The impact will be drastic. The roads covered by this gantry will see dramatic improvement in flow. Secondary roads will see a swell in traffic volume. Roads in Central areas such as Orchard rd or Marina Bay area will benefit tremendously from this.
If LTA can calibrate this properly, the traffic flow will not have negative impact on business in the CDB area. But I think they're too scared to experiment with this for one simple reason. A drastic fall in business in the CBD area will see many tenants moving out, causing a big drop in demand for shopping & business space, resulting in depressed rental prices. DBS is probably the largest lender of office and shopping projects in the CBD. Mortgage repayment will be affected and this could lead to a downward spiral in asset valuation in the CBD areas, with a knock-on effect of banks calling for top-ups on their loans. A major disaster could ensure from raising ERP charges to $10. But anything less than that will be ineffective.
The gahmen is playing catchup in the traffic and car population management game. They should have started on the Circle Line project 5 years earlier.
They should also be building elevated expressways along the existing ones we already have. For example, the PIE is choked with traffic during the morning and evening hours. Here, $10 ERP charges will definitely smoothen traffic flow but secondary roads will choked up. LTA should build an elevated expressway for those travelling longer distances from, say, Tuas & Jurong to Bedok-Tampines-Changi. Presently, PIE has too many entry and exit points (same for all our expressways). The guy leaving his factory in Tuas going back to Bedok has to wait for the others going home to Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Johor (BKE), Thomson Rd, Steven Rd, Toa Payoh, Braddell, Serangoon, Kallang, Eunos, Ubi, before Bedok, Tampines and then Changi. Along the way, entry roads are sending in more cars from these same areas to go to eastern Singapore. What we really need is Expressway Part 2 on top of all our existing Part 1 Expressways. Of course, this will cost maybe another $20 billion. PAP gahmen would rather sit back and sell you the paper called "COE" - it makes them lots of money, and with more money they can declare more bonus for themselves.
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