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[congo9]

Forum: Vouchers a good initiative but make them simpler to use​

Mar 20, 2025

The Tampines SG60 Cares grocery vouchers initiative is well intentioned, but its execution leaves much to be desired, especially for the elderly and less tech-savvy residents.

As part of the initiative, households with Blue Chas cards will be offered $60 in Shopee credits for their groceries.

The residents were issued six coupon codes to be used for six separate grocery purchases.

But the complexity of the redemption process makes it more of a hassle than a help for the recipients.

The vouchers require the use of the Shopee app, which in turn requires installing the app and linking of payment methods. This poses a challenge for many elderly individuals who are not familiar with smartphones or digital platforms.

The fact that the vouchers cannot be stacked is also another critical issue. There is a minimum spend requirement for free shipping and, for many, the shipping cost ends up eating into the value of the voucher, which undermines its original intent of helping with groceries.

The minimum spend and shipping requirements seem to encourage additional spending, rather than providing an efficient means of assistance.


It’s clear that there is a gap between the intentions of the initiative and its execution. A better option would be a physical supermarket voucher that doesn’t require an app, internet access or shipping considerations.

This would remove unnecessary barriers for seniors and ensure that the support is delivered in the most straightforward manner possible to truly help those in need.

Irene Pang

Give cash or give more.

 

[True Believer]

We can't afford Gardenia brand now, we buy Supervalue now, more pieces of bread and cheaper

Join the grassroots so you may eat the crumbs that fall from the table while the MP is eating his premium bread.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

URA taps private sector architects, planners for ideas to redevelop Sembawang Shipyard​

The Singapore Institute of Architects and the Singapore Institute of Planners are collaborating with the URA on plans for the shipyard.ST PHOTO: WALLACE WOON

Ng Keng Gene
Dec 26, 2024

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s urban planning authority is tapping private sector planners and architects to design a future seafront district in Sembawang Shipyard, which will help to meet the country’s land needs in the medium to long term.

Two professional bodies – the Singapore Institute of Architects and the Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP) – are collaborating with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on plans for the shipyard, which was part of the Sembawang Naval Base that officially opened in 1938.

The institute of architects launched a competition on Nov 6 for its members to submit ideas for a masterplan and urban design strategies for the district, while SIP’s core team has been working on a concept masterplan for the site since end-May, according to the planning institute’s website.

When approached for more details about their involvement, both institutes declined to comment, citing confidentiality agreements they have with URA.

URA had said, when exhibiting its masterplan in 2019, that the shipyard can be “redeveloped into a mixed-use waterfront lifestyle precinct while taking into consideration its rich maritime history”, when the shipyard’s operations cease.

The masterplan, reviewed once every five years, guides Singapore’s development in the medium term over the next 10 to 15 years. The next Draft Master Plan will be launched in June 2025.

A URA spokesperson said in response to queries on Dec 20 that agencies are studying plans and working with industry stakeholders to develop ideas for the area, adding that more details will be shared when ready.

A project brief for the ideas competition by the Singapore Institute of Architects and URA stated that the project site is about 270ha, comprising the Sembawang Shipyard site and surrounding areas along Admiralty Road, and that a briefing for the 24-week competition was held on Nov 25.

The 18-page briefing document, which was seen by The Straits Times, said the competition “presents an excellent opportunity for (the institute’s) members, of all ages, to be part of an expansive master planning exercise curating the future living environment in this part of Singapore”.

It added that such an opportunity would otherwise be out of reach for most, if based on the traditional procurement process.

Architects are to form teams, of which 15 will be shortlisted to present their entries to a panel comprising representatives from the institute and URA.

One of the teams will be selected to develop urban design strategies and a detailed masterplan for the site, which will include three precincts. The team will be paid $300,000 for its efforts, said the project brief.

The masterplan will take into consideration transport and connectivity, nature spaces, strategies to retain built and natural heritage, public space and community facilities and environmental sustainability strategies, among other things.

As for SIP’s plan, members of the institute were invited to share their views on it in September, in focus group discussions with officers from public agencies such as the Housing Board, National Parks Board and JTC Corporation.

URA had previously said in July that agencies are studying ways to harness the site’s rich maritime heritage and waterfront setting for a mix of uses, such as workspaces, homes as well as recreational spaces and activities.

The agency did not provide a development timeline for the Sembawang Shipyard area, which currently houses Admiralty Yard, operated by Seatrium – a merger between Sembcorp Marine and Keppel Offshore & Marine – and Sembawang Wharves, operated by PSA Corp.

In 2013, then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Sembcorp Marine planned to consolidate all of its yards in Tuas by 2024.

Seatrium told ST in a statement on Dec 20 that Admiralty Yard will “remain operational until the return date determined by the relevant government authorities, which we understand has been slated for 2028”.

This is not the first time URA is working with the Singapore Institute of Architects and SIP. It also engaged these groups when redeveloping areas such as Paya Lebar Air Base, where a new town will be built after the airbase is relocated in the 2030s.

Ideas and proposals that were developed by the institutes were exhibited in June 2022, as part of the URA’s long-term plan review exhibition.

In the coming years, the area around Keppel Terminal will also be redeveloped as part of the Greater Southern Waterfront.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

LTA seeks solutions to improve road maintenance regime and road construction methods​

Expressways are inspected weekly and major roads every two weeks to spot surface defects.PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS FILE

Lee Nian Tjoe
Jan 13, 2025

SINGAPORE – To upgrade the way it manages the 9,500 lane-kilometres of road under its charge, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is calling for ideas to measure and predict road maintenance needs.

Separately, it is also calling for proposals to improve the way roads are designed and constructed.

At present, it uses a mix of video analytics and artificial intelligence to spot defects on road surfaces. The use of such technologies has improved productivity and detection accuracy, LTA said in a document posted to its website calling for solutions.

LTA uses three types of specialised equipment to assess road performance today. A laser crack measurement system evaluates surface roughness, ruts (or tracks left by wheels), surface texture and cracks; a grip tester assesses skid resistance; and a falling weight deflectometer looks at the structural integrity of the roads.

The authority said in mid-December 2024 that its current approach has adequately guided maintenance work and planning, but recent advancements such as in technology, ways to assess road performance, and automated data-collection techniques may enable it to expand the use of data to improve the management of road pavements.

LTA wants to index the data gathered during inspections to create a Singapore Road Pavement Performance System, which will be hosted on a digital platform.

The system should be able to assess the conditions of roads and recommend maintenance levels and actions needed to achieve minimum road performance levels, and set out the actions needed to deal with road defects.

It is also seeking the deployment of cost-effective and reliable equipment as alternatives to those now in use.

The expectation is for the proposed equipment and methods to measure the health of the roads to yield cost and productivity savings of at least 20 per cent.


To derive the index, data such as the extent of road conditions, and the size and severity of defects, is to be taken into account.

The proposals LTA is seeking may also entail mooting road performance attributes such as riding quality and road safety, the approach to deriving weightings for each attribute, and the factors that contribute to the weightings based on their severity and impact on parties such as road users.

The data collected should allow LTA to predict, prioritise, plan and project how to maintain the roads through a road deterioration model, and allow it to determine the costs involved over the next three to five years.

The deterioration model will take into consideration factors such as traffic loads, environmental conditions and material properties, LTA said.

Finally, the proposal should include the design and development of a tool with an intuitive dashboard that will aid in long-term decision-making for road maintenance and management.

In response to queries from The Straits Times on the potential benefits of such a solution to motorists, LTA said: “A viable solution will enable a data-driven approach to maintenance, improving the ability to efficiently prioritise and plan road repairs for a safer and more reliable road network.”

When asked about the current inspection regime, LTA said expressways are inspected weekly, major roads every two weeks, and minor roads every eight weeks to spot surface defects.

The cost of checking road conditions depends on factors such as the type of road, total length of the road and the technologies used. At present, the cost of collecting data on skid resistance, rut depth and roughness of the roads comes to about $500,000 a year, said LTA.

Separately, the authority is seeking proposals for alternatives to current construction designs and methods for roads and bus bays.

It wants solutions that can meet challenges such as more extreme weather conditions and the different kinds of stress placed on road surfaces by different traffic loads in the future, including electric vehicles, which tend to be heavier.

Instead of coasting or freewheeling, many electric vehicles have a feature that applies braking force when the driver takes his foot off the accelerator to recover electric energy. This contributes towards degrading the road surface.

For roads and expressways, LTA wants to save at least 20 per cent of costs during the lifespan of the roads built with the new alternatives, which can be during construction or maintenance.

For road junctions and bus bays, the challenge is the disruption to road users during construction, which takes between five and seven days to complete.

LTA wants to be able to reduce the time needed to pave a road junction or bus bay by at least half without changing the structural properties of the current junctions and bus bays.

LTA told ST that expressways are typically resurfaced every seven to 10 years, major roads every 10 to 15 years, and minor roads every 15 to 25 years. In addition, localised repair works are done whenever necessary.

 

[Boonsiong]

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