chapter05 commute

8/4/2019 Chapter05 Commute

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COMMUTE CLEANER,GREENER AND MORECONVENIENT TRAVEL

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1 Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller- 1/30th the diameter of a human hair. These ne particles can aggravate heart and lung diseases.

COMMUTE CLEANER,GREENER AND MORECONVENIENT TRAVEL

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Over the years, Singapore has built an extensive public transport systemand put in place policies to discourage car ownership and usage becausewe have limited land to build roads. We were one of the rst cities in theworld to implement vehicle ownership control and congestion pricing.

Today, travelling from place to place is relatively easy in Singapore andour city remains congestion free. But our roads already take up some12% of our total land area. Our transport sector also accounts for about13% of our overall energy consumption and 50% of the ne particles(specically PM2.51) in the air. Therefore, we have to plan ahead toensure that our transport system is able to meet two important objectivesin the future: lower environmental footprint and more convenient travel.We have to achieve these goals without incurring disproportionatelyhigh costs for our people.

We will achieve a cleaner, greener and more convenient transport systemby 2030 in three ways.

Enhancing public transport to meet the commuting needs of agrowing population

Improving resource efciency by reducing fuel consumption andadopting fuel efcient technologies

Achieving cleaner transport through cleaner diesel vehicles andcleaner forms of commuting


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Enhancing Public TransportAchieve a modal share of 70% of journeys made during morning peak hoursvia public transport by 2020, through doubling our rail network and developinga more integrated and seamless connection between our bus and rail services.

Improving Resource EfciencyManage the growth of private transport, by halving the annual vehicle population growth

rate to 1.5%, refining our Electronic Road Pricing system, and improving schemes (e.g.Off-Peak Car scheme and Park and Ride scheme) to reduce car usage.

Improve the energy and fuel efficiency of both private and public transport,by implementing a mandatory Fuel Economy Labelling Scheme for passenger cars andlight goods vehicles from April 2009, test-bedding new technologies such as diesel-hybrid buses, and developing a Green Framework for rail systems.

Achieving Cleaner TransportReduce PM2.5 level from 16 g/m 3 in 2008 to 12 g/m 3 by 2020 and maintain this level

until 2030 with cleaner diesel vehicles.Establish a vehicle emission test laboratory.

Encourage cycling and walking with investments in infrastructure such as coveredlinkways, cycling paths and parking facilities for cyclists at MRT stations.

Key Recommendations


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ENHANCINGPUBLIC TRANSPORTWe can achieve a more sustainable transportsystem if more Singaporeans travel by publictransport. Public transport is, by far, the moreefcient mode of transport, both in terms of landand energy use. A single-deck bus transports upto 80 passengers while an average passengercar only carries up to 5 persons. A car carryingonly the driver uses 9 times the energy usedby a bus and 12 times that used by a train,on a per passenger-kilometre travelled basis.

To encourage more people to travel by publictransport, we must make public transport moreaccessible and more convenient to commuters.The government has set aside more than$40 billion to improve the public transportsystem to achieve the target of having 70%of journeys made by public transport duringmorning peak hours by 2020.

Doubling Our Rail Network

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) willcontinue to upgrade our rail infrastructureto bring direct rail access to new areas.It will double the current rail network fromthe current 142km to 278km by 2020. Thiswill be achieved with the completion of theCircle Line and Downtown Line and theaddition of new lines and extensions, suchas the North-South Line Extension, theTuas Extension, the Thomson Line and

the Eastern Region Line. Where demand justifies, more trains will also be added toimprove the capacity of existing rail lines.

Ensuring a More Integrated andSeamless Hub-and-Spoke System

LTA will take over the role of central busplanning to enhance the inter-connectivitybetween our bus and rail services to achieve

MRT is the backbone of our public transport system Real-time bus arrival information helps commuters plantheir journeys


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an integrated public transport system.

There will be more frequent and directfeeder bus services so that commuters canreach the transfer hubs quickly, and enjoyseamless and efcient transfers to theMass Rapid Transit (MRT) or trunk buses.

LTA will also introduce more measuresto give buses priority over other trafc(e.g. through more bus lanes, right of wayat bus bays, signal priority at junctions) sothat bus travel is faster and more reliable.

LTA will also provide real-time and multi-modal public transport travel informationthrough online and mobile platforms,to help commuters plan their journeymore conveniently.

Together, these measures will reduce overall journey times for commuters using publictransport.

IMPROVINGRESOURCE EFFICIENCY We can improve the resource efficiency of the transport system by managing the growthof private transport, improving fuel efciencyof both private and public modes of transport,and pricing fuels correctly.

Managing the Growthof Private Transport

Singapore is one of the few cities in the worldto successfully implement a vehicle quotasystem, which has helped us maintain theannual vehicle population growth rate at3%. At this growth rate, however, the currentvehicle population will still increase by 40%

to about 1.2 million vehicles by 2020. This

cannot continue because our road space grewby 1% per year over the last 15 years and isexpected to increase by only 0.5% per yearover the next 15 years.

Therefore, we have lowered our vehiclepopulation growth rate to 1.5% per yearfrom 2009 and will further review this afterthree years.

We will also have to continue to manageroad usage. Congestion pricing, whichSingapore pioneered, has now been adopted by other cities. We will rene our ElectronicRoad Pricing (ERP) system, and takeadvantage of technological developmentsto develop our next generation ERP systemto ensure our roads remain congestion free.

In addition, we will also review schemes suchas the Off-Peak Car scheme and the Park andRide scheme to reduce overall car usage.

Encouraging Fuel-Efcient Vehicles

Within the private transport sector, we willcontinue to encourage vehicle owners to switchto more fuel-efcient vehicles.

From April 2009, NEA has introduced theFuel Economy Labelling Scheme (FELS),which provides buyers of passenger cars andlight goods vehicles with fuel economyinformation at the point of sale. This willempower consumers with information tomake more fuel-efcient vehicle purchases.

The government will also regularly reviewthe Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) scheme toencourage consumers to purchase greenand fuel-efcient cars.


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Drivers who opt for environmentally-friendly cars enjoy the Green Vehicle Rebate

Global trends indicate that electricvehicles will eventually be introducedinto the mainstream automobile market.Therefore, we will test-bed these vehiclesin Singapore to enable us to facilitate theirfuture adoption.

Making Buses andTrains More Energy Efcient

Within the public transport sector, we cansimilarly use new technologies to make busesand trains more energy efcient.

LTA will carr y out a trial of diesel hybridbuses with private and public bus operatorsto study the feasibility of applying thistechnology to our bus eets. A diesel hybridbus uses an electric motor to complementthe diesel engine for propulsion. These

buses have been introduced in the UK, theUS, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New Zealand.Based on trials conducted overseas, dieselhybrid technology for buses can improvefuel economy by 15-30%, as well as reducePM2.5 emissions by up to 85%.

In addition, LTA is working to develop a GreenFramework for the Rapid Transit System(RTS) to improve the design and engineering

of the RTS network to achieve greaterenergy efciency.

Pricing Fuel Correctly

The government will price fuel correctlyand maintain our policy of not subsidisingfuel usage. We will regularly review the rateof fuel duty as a form of general vehicularusage charge, to encourage commuters and


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In Tampines Town, cycling has become aconvenient mode of transport for intra-towntravel and short trips to key transport nodes.A Committee comprising the Singapore PoliceForce, LTA and the Tampines Grassroots wasformed to oversee a pilot trial and study if cyclingon footways would be feasible. The trial has

enabled the Committee to identify measuresneeded to improve the acceptance of cycling onfootways, including stepping up public educationand enforcement. The trial has also yielded usefulinformation on infrastructural improvements thatcan better ensure pedestrian and cyclist safety.

LTA has been working with the relevantgovernment agencies to rm up acomprehensive cycling path in TampinesTown, and will be adding an estimated 7kmof cycling path by 2010. The cycling pathwill link cyclists to major transport nodes suchas the bus interchange and the MRT station,

making it easier for people to take publictransport. LTA will also be building moreand better bicycle parking facilities near theTampines MRT station.

transport companies to save fuel, to encouragecommuters to switch to public transport, andto take into account the environmental impactof fuel usage. However, the government ismindful of rising living and business costsassociated with any increase in fuel duty andwill consider the cost implications carefully inreviewing fuel taxes.

ACHIEVING CLEANERTRANSPORTThe diesel vehicles on our roads emit neparticles into the air (PM2.5), which can penetrate deep into the lungs and has been linked torespiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Toprotect public health, we target to lower ourambient PM2.5 level from 16 g/m 3 in 2008 to12 g/m 3 by 2020. We aim to maintain the PM2.5level at 12 g/m 3 up to 2030, even if our economyand vehicle population continue to grow.

Reviewing Emissions Regulations

We can reduce PM2.5 emissions by tighteningemission regulations over time. Singapore hasadopted the Euro IV emission standards for dieselvehicles. Euro IV diesel vehicles emit about 70%less PM2.5 compared to their Euro II counterparts.With effect from 1 October 2006, all new dieselvehicles are required to comply with the EuroIV emission standards. We expect all taxis toachieve Euro IV emission standards by 2014,and LTA will work with public bus operators toattain this standard for all their buses by 2020.The government will also consider tighteremission standards, such as the Euro V emissionstandard, for new diesel vehicles when it iscost effective to do so.

Using Cleaner Transport Technology

We will also use new technology to improvethe environmental performance of vehicles.

MAKING CYCLING A WAY OF LIFE:THE TAMPINES EXAMPLE


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Covered linkways to MRT stations make public transport moreaccessible and convenient

2 Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOCs) are one of the most commondiesel emissions control technology used for retrotting today.DOCs help control PM emissions by oxidising (i.e. burning) thesoluble organic fraction of particulate matter, but are less efcientin doing so compared to DPFs.

For instance, Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs)that are tted to diesel vehicles can potentiallyreduce up to 85% of the vehicles PM emissions.However, they cost two to three times morethan traditional diesel oxidation catalytictechnology 2. LTA will conduct trials on theuse of the DPF on a range of diesel-drivenvehicles and assess its feasibility and cost-

effectiveness in reducing PM2.5 emissions.LTA will also study alternative fuel technologiesthat can make commuting cleaner.

Establishing LocalEmission Testing Capability

LTA, in partnership with the private sector, willestablish a vehicle emission test laboratory inSingapore to measure vehicle emissions. This

Bicycle parking facilities help cyclists transfer to the publictransport system

testing facility will be the rst of its kind inSingapore and will support the trials on DPFinstallation and diesel hybrid buses.

Encouraging CleanerForms of Commuting

We will also promote cleaner forms

of commuting, such as cycling. Bicyclesdo not pollute the air and require nofuel. Cycling is also good for the health.We have put in place infrastructure, such


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CONCLUSIONA Singapore city with a rst class living environment must have a cleaner, greener and more

convenient transport system. We have made comprehensive plans to upgrade the transportinfrastructure and enhance its environmental performance. We will have a cleaner and morefuel-efcient vehicle eet by 2030. However, our city in 2030 will be shaped just as much by theindividual commuting choices of our people as they are by these plans. If all of us choose to usepublic transport more, drive less and adopt cleaner and more fuel-efcient options, we can lookforward to a bet ter living environment for all in the future.

as park connectors, to promote cycling as

a recreational activity. More will be doneto promote cycling as an alternative modeof transport, especially for travelling withintowns and short distance commuting tokey public transport facilities (such as MRTstations and bus interchanges).

Over the next five years, LTA will, inpartnership with community stakeholders,invest more than $43 million to implement

cycling networks in selected HDB townsincluding Tampines, Yishun, Sembawang,Pasir Ris and Taman Jurong. These willimprove access for cyclists and enhancepedestrian and cyclist safety. Besides HDBtowns, LTA will also examine the feasibilityof implementing cycling paths in newdistricts such as Marina Bay.

In addition, LTA will provide more and better-

designed bicycle parking facilities near MRTstations to help cyclists transfer to the publictransport system for longer distance travel.

As a s tart, LTA will build over 1,200 additional

cycle parking lots in Tampines, Pasir Ris and Yishun towns by 2010.

Beyond this, LTA has also worked with publictransport operators to allow foldable bicycleson buses and trains during off-peak hours.

Promoting Pedestrian-FriendlyEnvironment and EnhancingConnectivity

LTA will also make our public transportsystem more accessible and convenient forpedestrians.

It will introduce more covered linkwaysand pedestrian overhead bridges aroundMRT stations and bus interchanges.

Pedestrians can also enjoy more seamless

transfers as LTA develops more integratedtransport hubs and co-locates them withcommercial developments.

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