Businesses, motorists will be worse off in long run if ERP eased
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 July 2008 1858 hrs
SINGAPORE : Easing up on congestion charging on Singapore roads will be detrimental to both motorists and businesses in the long run, according to Transport Minister Raymond Lim. (perhaps its me being a straggler, for a brief moment, i was confused by this statement.
"Easing up on congestion...is detrimental..." seems soooooo correct on first impression. if we read again...
in concise:
ERP (congestion charges) is detrimental to Singaporeans (motorists and businesses).
our Singapore media sure lives up to its name as a state media.)
His comments on the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) followed complaints by motorists and businesses over higher ERP charges and added gantries. (oh...many must be cursing him now.)
New gantries along the Singapore River were put up a week ago. Mr Lim said initial reports have shown that traffic speeds have gone up and vehicle volume has decreased. ("initial". yes thats the keyword: "initial". there will come a day when everyone will get used to paying, and they will increase ERP charges using the very same reason why they first built the gantries.)
While some businesses within central Singapore, like in Clarke Quay, have argued that it is driving customers away, Mr Lim noted that not having ERP will be even more detrimental to retailers.
He said, "If you look at the experience in London, they have the same concern - the retail establishments. But after congestion charging was put in, their business over time actually improved. It became easier to get into London, to the restaurants there, to shops there. Similarly, the experience we had in Orchard Road was the same."(i wonder if the Transport Minister read this article or this article, saying congestion charges hit businesses pretty badly(79% of the shops in London reported lower earnings), especially the smaller shops.
likewise in Singapore, the London authority is blaming other factors for the economic impact. not the charges fault they say, but we all know better.
also to note,
London offers congestion charge rebate up to 90% for eligible residents,
unlike
our Ang Mo Kio residents who have a ERP right outside their house.)
And on comments that evening ERP charging is taking a toll on family life, Mr Lim said the alternative would be to get stuck in traffic and still end up getting home late. (unlike our Transport Minister, the average Singaporeans do not take home more than S$1.2million/year)
He said, "I think the critical decision for us as a people is that whether as a people we are willing to take sometimes difficult decisions, painful decisions, that we know will benefit Singaporeans as a whole. Or do we postpone difficult issues, difficult measures, do the popular thing and store up bigger trouble for ourselves in the future.
"We have not taken the populist road. We have said if this is the right thing to do and the situation calls for it, we would do it and in the case of congestion charging, I know it's difficult, it's an unpopular measure, motorists who are affected are unhappy, but it is something that is necessary - something that we will do so as to ensure that Singaporeans continue to enjoy living in a city, in a garden, and not a city in a carpark!"(i must agree that ERP is indeed for the greater good. this necessary evil has been effective and public transport is a must for city-living.
It is the public transport that needs much berating instead.)
The reality is that as cars try to avoid ERP, other roads get congested and more gantries are put up on arterial roads. So really there is no avoiding ERP.
The Transport Minister said the alternative is to take public transport.
The next phase of electronic road pricing will also see vehicles fitted with new In-vehicle Units (IUs).
The new devices are smaller and reflect not just the amount deducted from one's CashCard but also one's CashCard balance.
The dual-mode IUs will be fixed on new motorcycles starting next month, while new cars, taxis and other vehicles will have the device fixed from early next year. The cost of the new IUs is S$150, the same as the current ones.
Owners of existing vehicles can continue to use the old IUs. Motorists who wish to change to the new device may do so at LTA (Land Transport Authority) Authorised Inspection Centres. They will have to bear the full cost of replacing the IUs.
A next generation e-payment system for public transport is also coming up. All new stored-valued cards are expected to be made Contactless ePurse Application (CEPAS)-compliant.
These new generation smart cards will allow for automatic top-ups, so one will never be penalised for having insufficient funds in one's CashCard.
Funds can be deducted from various payment modes - for example, through GIRO or credit card.
Some 1,000 frequent public transport users will test out the new EZ-Link CEPAS-compliant cards between mid-August and mid-October.
Meanwhile, LTA will be extending the Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS) to 10 major arterial roads. This is to be phased in over the next four years.
A study has shown that EMAS has been effective in cutting delays on expressways, with average time savings of 24 minutes per incident. The shorter delays translate to cost savings of about S$40 million a year.(cost savings of S$40 million? or profit from the ERP?) - CNA/ms
 This story was printed from TODAYonline | |
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| What happened to those values? Weekend • July 12, 2008 news@newstoday.com.sg WHAT are our values as a nation? Do we even have shared values? Others do. Some countries turn to God to tell them how to feel about each other and everything. Others look to values grown over time. We Singaporeans have no shared God, no shared political ideology, no long-shared traditions, unless you count the military parade and fireworks on National Day. Even National Service is served by only a fraction of the country, men above 18. But while it’s safe to say no country has a set of values everybody cherishes, it’s still fair to think we could share some common beliefs and principles after about 200 years of living together. What could they be? (200 years? did you mean 1819? Singapore was still a fishing village back when Raffles founded it. I dont know how many years have Singaporeans been spending together, but I would take 1965 as a benchmark.) Many people point to the colour of our grass, which is greener. Our antecedents came here looking for a living, so it’s quite easy to think their children would be focused on the material world. They say, no wonder we so easily describe ourselves as “Singapore Inc”. (we are called "Singapore Inc." because the government operates the country like a business. if nothing is profitable, they won't care to do more. now you know why our government keep telling us that Singapore must not be a welfare state?) But for about 40 years now, we have had National Service. Every family sends its sons to combat training, where they risk their lives for something more than Hotel Singapore — there seems to be something worth fighting for, even worth killing for. What is it? (Worth fighting for...worth killing for...? it must be traumatizing if you realize that reality says otherwise. if you don't serve, you break the law and you go to jail. simple as that. what patriotism?) For many other countries that something is a way of life or just the nostrum: My motherland. But here, when we think roots, do we think Singapore? (yes of course, I think of paying more and more while getting paid less and less....oh and no retirement.) When people abroad ask me where I’m from, more than half the time they accept it when I say, “I’m from Singapore.” In my motherland though, 100 per cent of the time they still want to know, “Where are you from originally?” (I tell them, Kandang Kerbau Maternity Hospital.) If our shared values are hard to pin down, it’s not for lack of trying. On Jan 15, 1991, the world was told what Singapore’s “Shared Values” were, as the five statements of values were described after they were debated and adopted by Parliament. (the world was told? like as if they care or even know where Singapore is in 1991.) How deep have they sunk in? Why not have a look at the five values, listed here in bold type? (what 5 values? i will offer a $500 reward to the first average Singaporean walking in orchard road who can recite them) “Nation before community and society before self.” Well, a simple MRT or bus ride will be enough to show you how deeply we have embraced that one, with pregnant women, children and the old having to stand while even our boys in green sit, our youth pretend to sleep — what is it in the MRT aircon that makes so many people close their eyes for even a few stops? — and that’s not to mention the person in front of you at any building letting the door slam on you.(this land has become what the government has always envisaged to be: Singaporeans are not at fault, they just learned well from their government.) As for “Nation before community” — a phrasing that some say was added with the realisation that the original “community before self” could spell disaster in a multi-racial and multi-religious society — if we really believed in “nation before community”, why is there still a need for race-based self-help groups? (are you implying that the CDAC and Mendaki should be abolished? they have been taking over the government's abandoned responsibilities to offer basic welfare to its people over the years.) And so it goes with three of the other official “Shared Values”. Community support for the individual. Who knows what this means, and how it doesn’t contradict “Nation before community and society before self”? Family as the basic unit of society? What sounds so good and wholesome and very anodyne somehow found a downside in Singapore where people were actually punished for not forming a family — with a man at the head of the household. This kind of thinking led the Housing Board to deny our singles better grades of flats for the longest time. And for officialdom to deny medical benefits to children of female civil servants until more recent times – on the grounds that only a man could be considered the head of the home. Consensus, not conflict? Sure, on a daily basis, we avoid conflict but that’s more out of apathy and fear of trouble than a sense of consensus, which requires engagement, something we’re not renowned for. (apathy in Singaporeans does not lead from the lack of engagement. In Singapore, apathy is bred from helplessness. simply put in: Singaporeans know that whatever they do, they have no right, they have no say.(does this line sounds familiar?) every decision is discussed and finalized by the bureaucrats in their ivory tower. the only reason why the public are told to involved is probably to delude others that Singapore is democratic. where in actual fact, the decisions has already been made and "noises" need to be silenced. many Singaporeans has engaged the government in policy-making, but to say the very least, the government have not listened even once. thus, helplessness leads to apathy. our views are not going effect any changes so why bother?) Just look at the amount of conflict we pay to consume in pop culture. We enjoy every Die Hard and superhero Hollywood throws at us, and then generate swordfights and fistfights aplenty in homegrown shows. As they stand, it is hard to say we live by the official “Shared Values” or that society would accept laws that impose them, except for the one that says, “Racial and religious harmony” — we have even sent racist bloggers to jail to uphold it. (But we don’t discuss the terms on which we achieve harmony — acceptance or tolerance?) So then, what are our shared values? You could come up with limitless questions to help define values. How do the strong treat the weak? Where do we find joy? What moves our hearts? How do we feel about freedoms? Responsibilities? What will we fight for? (there are no shared values. the strong trample on the weak. the only joy is money and only money will move our hearts. there is no freedom and the only responsibilities is only towards one's family. we did not fight for anything as we are helpless lambs in the slaughterhouse. everyone is just an economic digit to the government and they have no wish to change that. this is Singapore Inc.) A lot to think about. If you think talking about it has any value. The writer is a media consultant who likes to share his views, if not values. | |
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| After 48 lean years...S'pore may finally get Oympic medal(may...might...probably...a chance...so have Singapore win an Olympic medal ever since?) | |||||||||
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| FOR 48 years, Singapore struggled in vain for a second Olympic medal. Weightlifter Tan Howe Liang's silver-medal feat at the 1960 Rome Games was the lone spark in the Republic's less-than impressive Olympic history. This year, however, hopes are high that the barren spell will finally be broken at the Beijing Olympics, which start next month. Singapore is sending 25 athletes - its largest contingent since it sent 52 sportsmen as part of the Malaya squad to the 1956 Melbourne Games.(hopes for a second medal are high just by flooding the Olympic with Singapore atheltics? this could be a double-edged sword actually. what if all 25 athletes failed to even get a bronze medal?oh what a nasty blow to Singapore's multi-billion "sport hub" image) And chef de mission Dr Tan Eng Liang is confident that this is the most well-prepared squad for the medal assault. Speaking at yesterday's flag presentation ceremony at Plaza Singapura, he said: "What pleases me most is that many of our athletes qualified outright, instead of gaining entry via wildcards or invitation. "It shows that we can meet the high international standards that the Olympics have set."With a little bit of mental strength, a medal is definitely possible for this contingent." When asked if a gold medal is within Singapore's reach, Dr Tan laughed and said: "Any colour will do! It's been so long since we've won anything."(maybe the Olympics committee should consider introducing a gold medal to the country of having the most participants...Singapore might stand a good chance with that instead.) Paddler(is being called "a table tennis player" too shabby a title for you?) Li Jiawei, who came close at the 2004 Athens Games with a fourth-place finish in the women's singles event, will be Singapore's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony on Aug 8.(aren't there any talented Singaporean representative than to use a China-import? what a disgrace to Singapore.) personally, i rather Singapore not win a medal at all if the winner is not a true locally born-and-bred Singaporean. Singapore's method of importing foreign talents to win titles is a disgrace to the Olympic. No nationalism no culture. Everything is bought using monetary baits. If Singapore's population is too small for us to have an Olympic champion, let it be. No medals? Let it be.) | |||||||||
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PTC tweaks formula for adjusting public transport fares
SINGAPORE: Another round of public transport fare hikes is likely this year, but commuters can expect the rise to be cushioned by a new fare structure formula.(why does the so-called formulas always effect in an increase in charges? are they formulated for the interests of the commuters or for the operator? can the 2 operators(SBS and SMRT) explain why did SBS made a record S$653 MILLION in FY2007 and SMRT with a less starry $149.9 MILLION profit in FY2008?a fare hike an adjustment of price again... will they rake in HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS again this year?) But this rebate does not fully offset the jump in fares. To address this, a distance-based through fare system will be introduced by 2009. (a distance-based fare system is the most ideal form of charging instead of the flawed formula the operators has been using over the past 40+ years) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Singapore could face another round of inflation if firms raise wages
SINGAPORE : Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has warned that Singapore could face another round of inflation if companies increase wages to help workers cope with the higher cost of living today.(if raising wages is not a solution to growing inflations, what is? GST credits? Workfare Income Scheme? to be exact, the increase in wages proposed by the companies is actually not an increase at all. e.g. we have 7% inflation in 2007 0% wage increase is it right to say that is actually = 7% depression of pay and its not like we don't know that most Singaporeans are living from paycheck to paycheck and having little or no personal savings, aside from the leaky forced retirement saving plan: the CPF.) He said this will also affect Singapore's competitiveness and the ability to create jobs.(if a particular company is raking in record profits in a booming economy in 2007, i can't see whats wrong with rewarding. perhaps the Finance Minister's worry is Singaporeans might grumble and blame the government for wage stagnation.....which is actually indeed the government's fault from this article itself.) lets say we split $500 million among 2 973 091 citizens, each citizen gets $168. $168 over 12 months = $14 increase per month wow $14/month pay increase...thanks i guess i don't need any pay increase from my company) for his info, Singapore Dollars didn't do much strengthening actually. it is the US$ who dropped instead. e.g. European Dollars strengthened a lot against the US$) - CNA/ms | |||||||||||||||||||||||
- Mood: apathetic
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