THE hike in Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges and introduction of more gantries over the last few months were not made in isolation, Mr Lee Hsien Loong said last night.
Most that complains about ERP are the upper-middle class and above anyway, those who can own a car (according to CPF 75% of workforce earnes less than 2.5k). I think ERO is good wealth re-distribution, by giving the well-off good service (clear roads) and pay toffees for rest of ordinary Singaporeans. Personal thanks those who pay ERP everyday. Thank you.
While the government advocates family life and even talked about a family having dinner together, why is there ERP for HOME-BOUND traffic in the evenings till 10:30pm on CTE? Does this not contradict the family life advocacy?
I draw a parallel: Since the 80s the government has consistently labeled those who have chosen to migrate overseas for whatever reasons as "quitters" and even possible "traitors". Yet we go forth to attract "foreign talent" in the hope of winning medals and awards for us - and we choose to forget that these too are "quitters" and "traitors" of their own nations! And we choose to GLORIFY them.
Back to the ERP. What is the measure of success when we are able to control the vehicle population and vehicle usage?
(1) Lesser number of cars (vehicle population)
(2) Lower density of cars plying the total length of roads and less ERP fees collected (vehicle usage)
Now what is the Key Performance Indicator of LTA? What does LTA report in their annual budget - collection of PARF, vehicle taxes and ERP fees?
How then can we ever reach consistent policy-making???
The success of ERP is measured by less cars using the certain roads at specific times of the day... and NOT the amount of ERP collected nor the number of ERP gantries we put up. In fact, if ERP is successful, the collection of ERP fees should be less or negligible. But has ERP fees been too interwoven into LTA's scorecards that the essence is lost?
The strategic fit and match in policy and performance indicator seem to be inconsistent and incongruent. That's where I think the problem lies.
Do you know what the problem is with the erection of new ERP gantries? It is done in anticipation of future traffic jams.
Take the gantry outside Fullerton Hotel. From my experience driving past that stretch of road between 6 to 7 pm, there really is not that much of a jam before & after the erection of that new gantry. The slowdown in traffic is caused by those cars (with drivers waiting for their passengers) who line the entire left lane along Shenton Way on weekday evenings, leading towards Fullerton Hotel.
It's time the police or CISCO officers station themselves to book the entire lot. The LTA will soon discover that the traffic flow will vastly improve, rendering that ERP gantry totally unnecessary.
""While the Government will collect $70 million more a year in ERP revenue, the cut in road tax will cost it $110 million in revenue foregone. This is on top of the $200 million that it will lose from the 10 per cent cut to the Additional Registration Fee for new cars from March.""""
Read carefully these 2sentences. When its says collection is $40million less than rebate in road tax, this does not include the total collection in ERP, right???
On the ARF reduction, please also work on the number of cars to be increased. The totla figure should also exceed the $200million it lose it mentioned.
Finally, we know for sure that LTA is not the decision maker. It's the whole cabinet - and who runs the cabinet ? LKY or LHL ? Why do we have so many highly paid ministers if they cannot decide on their own how to run their ministries ? The ERP has and will never solve th traffic problems. Ask those on the road, it just shifts them to the next time zone. Something that the cabinet has never fully answered the Singaporeans. And the cost increase will be passed on to the workers like us. When can we see a change in the mindset of the govn ?
August 18, 2008 Monday, 04:15 AM
