Traffic volume at BTC has dipped by about 70 per cent
Letter from MICHAEL NG, Director, Office of Estate and Development
National University of Singapore
I REFER to the letter, “Why should NUS impose its own ERP” (Sept 14). We thank Ms Tricia Tong for her feedback.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) implemented on Aug 20 a $1 peakhour charge on vehicles entering the Bukit Timah Campus (BTC) via Kheam Hock Road and exiting via Evans/Cluny Road during the peak hour from 8am to 9am on weekdays, to help moderate traffic flow and improve the safety of all users within the BTC and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Bona fide users of the park and visitors to NUS can leave the campus without being charged if they use the same gantry or travel in an opposite direction (entering via Evans Road and exiting at Kheam Hock Road).
Before NUS took over the BTC in July last year, the gate at Evans Road/Cluny Road was closed. Hence, motorists were not able to use the campus as a bypass to the city. The gate has since been opened to provide an alternative route for users and the community in the vicinity.
After monitoring the situation for a year, the evidence has shown that each day, about 300 cars use the campus as a bypass between 8am to 9am, resulting in traffic congestion within the BTC.
We have also received feedback from students and staff that bypassing traffic has caused inconvenience. Hence, we decided that implementing the peak hour charge was necessary.
Since the implementation of the peak hour charge on Aug 20, traffic volume at the BTC had decreased by about 70 per cent.
The money collected will be used to defray the operation and maintenance costs of
car parks in the BTC and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
We will continue to review the situation regularly to ensure smooth traffic and road safety within the BTC and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
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