Something That LTA Should Look Into

[ThePole]

Everytime when a road jams, LTA and the Ministry will look into possibility of ERP.

 

However, there is something maybe LTA might want to look into:

 

During school holidays, traffic improves a lot. Why? Because ERP goes down during school holidays!

 

It doesn't make sense at all!

 

1. Students DON'T drive

2. Adults still have to WORK.

 

That only leaves School Buses which caused the jam. But, how many kids actually go to school in school buses nowadays?

 

So, most likely is the PARENTS that drove the kids to school is the main culprit for the jams during school days.

 

Do you all think it makes sense? If this is true, then LTA has been barking up the wrong tree all these years!

[RAO]

I think i'm not the only person in Singapore that is not a big fan about the increasing number of ERPs. They turn on the ERP During the peak hours when people have to go to work or when people are going home. To say that the ERP will reduce traffic, to me is just Crap. People will still have to go work, People will still have to go back home. I also think people who are on the roads during the peak hours ARE people from work. Still have to add the people who are on the road for who knows what. Why are there still JAMS when there are ERPs. Its just a Money making THING for the govt.

 

I'm sorry if I have offended anyone.

[CoStar]

don be sorry for standing ur ground. i see erp close to neighbourhood areas are relli crap.. if they take our money then do something to the roads. bt timah rd is relli at it seams. and the rds are dangerously bumpy.. but well..all this will eventually fall on deaf ears.

[arsie]

Ideally, there are a few solutions for this:

 

a) School hours start DURING work hours, like maybe school at 10am-3pm. So parents have no choice but to use a school bus. This is a more space and fuel efficient way to transport children. This means that parents can start their day a little later, because they do not need to rush their kids to work at 7am. And school buses would travel outside of the peak period.

 

Problem: what to do with the kids between 8am and 10am, not everyone has a maid or grandparents to look after their kids during that time.

 

b) Goods vehicles cannot use the roads during peak period. Peak period is for workers to get to and from work. With proper scheduling, goods vehicles can avoid using the roads during those 4 hours of the day, and business can still be conducted.

 

c) Stagger working hours for civil servants and large employers. Why 8 to 6 for everyone? Why can't some companies work 7 to 5, and 9 to 7. I don't mean all the small companies, I mean all those few companies and organisations that hire thousands of people. With a bit of planning among themselves, these organisations can spread the load on peak hours.

 

d) Of course, buck up the public transport system. SBS transit made 14m profit last year, they should be reinvested to buck up bus and train frequency. Give us nice looking train station and trains and buses for what? We want more frequent buses and trains.

[RAO]

don be sorry for standing ur ground. i see erp close to neighbourhood areas are relli crap.. if they take our money then do something to the roads. bt timah rd is relli at it seams. and the rds are dangerously bumpy.. but well..all this will eventually fall on deaf ears.

 

I know what you mean... Bukit Timah Road on the way to Dairy Farm, there is this part of the road which is VERY VERY bumpy.. Across the road one ERP

[RAO]

I would also like to know this... Why are there 2 ERPs along CTE within a couple of km from each other? I know CTE has a Nasty reputation of having a lot of traffic jams but With the ERPs, There seems to be no change! If i'm not wrong, one of them stays on till 10pm! For what? I do not know.

[Metal Gear]

How could they have think that turning on the ERP at their current times will help ease traffic? Those are the times that work starts, and work ends, for a lot of people. Why would you think the roads are congested at those time?

 

"Let's charge them for using the road at that times. That will prevent them from clogging up the roads."

 

They will forever want you to take public transport.

 

Nobody wants to start at 6am in the morning or wait till it's 9pm to go back home just they can avoid ERP. Not when work starts at 8am and ends at 6pm. I think that ERP and road pricing are just a surefire way of ensuring that the national coffers are filled. How the hell do they ease traffic is questionable.

[lthongs]

they are forwarding all the jams to that period of time.. if u close the erp.. pple will choose theri own "time slot" for wad time to go work n wad time to go home n will ease on traffic instead of pushing everyone for tat fixed "time slot"... i just find it crap...

[NinjaLite]

make more trails instead of roads..save cost cos no tar n no traffic lites..

 

den us scrammies can reach office in time everyday..n no erp

[ThePole]

wah lau, I am asking u guys is there a likelihood that parents driving kids to school are the main cause of traffic jams during school days and it becomes a discussion in ERP.

 

The reason why I ask is because even Ministry oso seems to agree and is having discount for ERP during school holidays! Surely something need to be done, perhaps by LTA to DISCOURAGE parents driving their kids to school becos that could be one of the factors contributing to jams in the morning.

 

Sometimes, I feel this is quite significant. Just near my block, there is a secondary school. During school days, I see parents dropping their darlings off to school. Often, I see only a father dropping his son, ie 2 persons in a car. However, he prefer to wait in a long Q b4 the school gates. This jammed up the whole road. if the kids take school buses, will it be better to ease traffic everywhere?

[greysnail]

Before and after the implementation of ERP.

Any difference?...No!

 

Total ease of traffic flow?

No!

[ah786786]

I would also like to know this... Why are there 2 ERPs along CTE within a couple of km from each other? I know CTE has a Nasty reputation of having a lot of traffic jams but With the ERPs, There seems to be no change! If i'm not wrong, one of them stays on till 10pm! For what? I do not know.

 

I always ride past that route,best is at times,people slow down hopeing the erp time will end like thos riding or driving at 9.58pm tt type.

 

Infact all this while the erp at the CTE never really ease the jam.

 

Guess the Govt just needs some money.Infact Singapore is more of making business out of its people.

[CoStar]

they are legally swindling us by implementing all these policies.

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

seriously the wools is on the sheep bodies...if you don't like to be shear...leave ....if cannot leave then suck thumb

[arsie]

wah lau, I am asking u guys is there a likelihood that parents driving kids to school are the main cause of traffic jams during school days and it becomes a discussion in ERP.

 

For trunk roads, I would definitely say yes. You do see a reduction of traffic on trunk roads during school holidays. As for expressways, I don't think so, because chances are, the parents have dropped off their kids before hitting the expressways to work. So if they don't drop off their kids, they will still be going to work at that time.

 

I think they are going to Plan B, reducing parking space in the CBD. But that is tough too, with the Market Street Carpark as an example.

 

Plan C is to decentralise, like having the Jurong East business district, but still, people will have to travel on the expressways to get there.

[ThePole]

For trunk roads, I would definitely say yes. You do see a reduction of traffic on trunk roads during school holidays. As for expressways, I don't think so, because chances are, the parents have dropped off their kids before hitting the expressways to work. So if they don't drop off their kids, they will still be going to work at that time.

 

 

the thing i dun understand is, why gahmen announce reduction of ERP during school holidays? dey must have sum study dat the road is less crowded during then. if so, what causes that? it cannot be the family go overseas say, for 1 month. not so many ppl have that type of luxury!

 

the thing i am suspicious is during school days, parents are making a big detour to drop their children at the popular schools. that is causing the jam. if all the parents go directly from point A to B to work, the jam might not be so bad. however, LTA dun seems to look into this but penalise every motorists. sumtime, 20% of the culprit is the one causing 80% of the problem.

[contrarian]

All the government needs to do to shut the motorists up is to declare no ERP during a normal work week for 2 weeks. Before the end of the 2 weeks, I'm sure that you'll see many, many clamouring for the ERP back.

 

As long as ERP is merely a small fraction of what you pay to park, for example, then it has little deterrent effect. If on the other hand, it costs a substantial amount, such as the $20 weekday licence for an off-peak car, then the deterrent effect is high. I'm sure that if people have to pay $10 a pass through the gantry, traffic will reduce noticeably during the peak hours.

[sheep]

You see ah... when there is school, parents will drive their kids to work. Thus the introduction of ERP. When school holidays start, they reduce ERP rates. why? they want more cars on the road to make up for the drop in morning traffic lor..

make sense anot?

Their ERP system is cannot run one..

I hate the ERP outside PS the most.. i farking turn left at that junction to go home to boon keng also kenna. Its a bloody catchment to tekan all motorists. Cant they build that dumb gantry after the junction?

[unknown1]

build there no $$ earn liao...

[PaLmEr]

All the government needs to do to shut the motorists up is to declare no ERP during a normal work week for 2 weeks. Before the end of the 2 weeks, I'm sure that you'll see many, many clamouring for the ERP back.

 

As long as ERP is merely a small fraction of what you pay to park, for example, then it has little deterrent effect. If on the other hand, it costs a substantial amount, such as the $20 weekday licence for an off-peak car, then the deterrent effect is high. I'm sure that if people have to pay $10 a pass through the gantry, traffic will reduce noticeably during the peak hours.

 

well, not when i have to bash through 3 gantries @ S$4.25 to get to work and 2 more gantries @ S$1.25 to go home 5 x a week. I haven't even included the ERP when i need to exit the CBD and reenter it a few times a day.

[biting_point]

You see ah... when there is school, parents will drive their kids to work. Thus the introduction of ERP. When school holidays start, they reduce ERP rates. why? they want more cars on the road to make up for the drop in morning traffic lor..

make sense anot?

Their ERP system is cannot run one..

I hate the ERP outside PS the most.. i farking turn left at that junction to go home to boon keng also kenna. Its a bloody catchment to tekan all motorists. Cant they build that dumb gantry after the junction?

 

if you study them, all ERP gantries are strategically placed.. only flaw is the one near IBM building..

[norz]

the erp nw gangsters ready......its like old times wen u nid to enter some area,u hv to pay but tat is illegal.nw they make it legal....DAMN.............!

[CoRnEr7]

if you study them, all ERP gantries are strategically placed.. only flaw is the one near IBM building..

 

yah... strategically placed to "extort" money from their own citizens...

[ThePole]

School re-open this Monday, back to jam everyone. Ride safe.

[redbeacon]

All the government needs to do to shut the motorists up is to declare no ERP during a normal work week for 2 weeks. Before the end of the 2 weeks, I'm sure that you'll see many, many clamouring for the ERP back.

 

That sounds terrible. Cuz what you've presented here make it sound really like it came out from the mouths the LTA officers that implemented the ERP...I sure hope you yourself know what you have presented here.

 

And this is what this thread is all about -- most of us making a common stand on the sudden changes in the management of ERP.

 

As long as ERP is merely a small fraction of what you pay to park, for example, then it has little deterrent effect. If on the other hand, it costs a substantial amount, such as the $20 weekday licence for an off-peak car, then the deterrent effect is high. I'm sure that if people have to pay $10 a pass through the gantry, traffic will reduce noticeably during the peak hours.

 

This I agree. Sometimes, the difference between money can really coerce people to rethink their routes every morning.

 

And I have a few more things to add too...the way drivers cut-and-weave in-and-out nowadays usually contribute to most of the jams as well, alongside poor road construction.

Also, I guess nobody ever thought about scalability 10 or even 20 years ago when they planned our roads...