A Road-Worthy Fix For Jams

Source : The Straits Times, Mon, Aug 27, 2007

Motorists gripe about the lack of lane discipline among those with whom they share the roads. They complain about the lack of on-road courtesy and the belief among too many drivers that turn signals are entirely optional. But they are united on one thing. The ERP. No one likes it. Now, that feeling is set to worsen:

Gantries are going up in new areas, and one toll station will have its operation hours extended. However, enmity towards the system is misplaced. For if it weren't for the Electronic Road Pricing system, streets would be jammed. 'But', goes the common refrain, 'traffic is getting slower despite the ERP'. That, in fact, is precisely why the ERP has to be expanded and tweaked. People have become used to the charges. Though they complain, they aren't so bothered that the charges factor too much into their road-usage pattern. In short, existing payments no longer sufficiently cause adjustments to primetime road use.

From London to New York, cities with dense populations are having to apportion road space according to market principles. Or at least for some, begin to think about it. With a head start over the rest, Singapore roads are far less crowded than the case in similarly dense urban centres. In normal situations - when there isn't an accident or a stalled vehicle - drivers don't expect to spend long periods immobile. Traffic moves. Of course, that movement is slowing. But having a road-pricing infrastructure already in place lets Singapore make subtle changes to ensure continuous motion.

Road pricing is a necessary trade-off. If the population wants to own more cars, these need space. However, road building (and widening) cannot continue to be the main solution, and in fact must be scaled down - as is planned - if the city is to maintain its quality of life and aesthetics. No one wants to live next to an expressway. So the ERP network eventually will need to be widened even further and charges rise more so that roads are more efficiently used. This, of course, is likely to renew grumbles that the ERP only fattens government coffers. This isn't true. While the ERP soaks up about $90 million a year from motorists, vehicle registration taxes have gone down - to $1.7 billion last year from $3.4 billion in 1997, before the introduction of the ERP. Motorists have benefited.

Still, many will continue to grouse. But they might want to try a little thought experiment. Imagine a Monday morning. Now think about driving into the central business district without the ERP. Not a pleasant picture. Without road pricing, motorists would be listening to a lot more radio in the car.