Ease Jams, Commence Work On Bukit Timah Line

Source : The Straits Times, Nov 2, 2007

I WATCHED from Sherwood Tower the daily morning traffic jam along Jalan Anak Bukit in the direction of Clementi and Dunearn Road. It is getting from bad to worse, even with the opening of the underpass along Jalan Anak Bukit and the flyover at King Albert Park.

The present road network linking the north to the Central Business District (CBD) would not be able to take the heavy road traffic in the coming years without serious loss of productivity and resources, e.g., petrol at US$90 per barrel.

It takes at least an hour to travel by bus, not counting waiting time at bus stop, from Bukit Panjang to the CBD. Car owners would not abandon their cars to take a bus to work every day unless there is a better alternative.

The Government's plan to have the Bukit Timah Line completed in 2015 should be brought forward and construction should commence immediately. In my opinion, even this would be too late for it will take at least five years to complete the project.

With the millions collected from Certificates of Entitlement, Electronic Road Pricing and road tax, the Government can afford to commence construction without waiting for construction costs to fall after the completion of the two integrated resorts.

Yap Chian Heng