Source : The Sunday Times, Jan 13, 2008
Q I AM 49 and single. I live with my parents, who are in their 70s, and my youngest sister in a three-storey terrace house bought in 1997.
The four of us bought the house for $904,000 under a tenants-in-common agreement. We each chipped in about $250,000.
The initial 20 per cent down payment of about $180,000 was paid by my parents.
At the time of purchase, my sister was unable to finance her full share of $250,000, so my parents paid $100,000 for her. Her total contribution was only about $150,000.
My sister and I each took up a 25-year loan of $60,000, using Central Provident Fund (CPF) monies. Combined, our outstanding loan commitments come to $95,000.
Now, my sister, who is 40, is getting married.
After her marriage, can she and her spouse move in with us against our wishes? If so, can the law protect the interests of both my parents and myself?
We have expressed our desire to buy out my sister’s share, but she has said no.
What legal options do my parents and I have? Are there any rights we can exercise to make her sell her share to us?
Selling the property is not an option.
A UNDER such a co-ownership arrangement, all four owners are entitled to the use and possession of the house, and none of you can claim a right to any separate part of it.
Thus, your sister can continue to live in the house after her marriage, but her husband, not being an owner, has no right of possession to any part of the house.
Your unequal contributions towards the purchase do not affect the equal rights of the four co-owners to use or possess the property .
One option is for the four owners to partition the property , allocating specific parts to each.
Agreement must be reached on the method to be used and other issues such as the title to the property and the adjustments of rights between the parties.
The agreement would also be subject to official approval under the Planning Act 1998.
Obviously, such a partition would be difficult to implement, especially if it is intended to allow at least two family units to live together in a terrace house.
If the parties cannot agree to a partition, any one of you can apply to the court to order a partition or to direct a sale of the property in lieu of partition.
The court might direct the property to be sold outright if this is more expedient. It could also order a sale where all the co-owners are free to bid for the shares of other co-owners.
You or your parents could propose buying over your sister’s share to the court.
If none of the co-owners is financially able or willing to take over the shares of other co-owners, then the court is likely to order that the property be sold in the open market and the proceeds divided among the co-owners in accordance with their entitlements.
Lie Chin ChinManaging DirectorCharacterist LLC (incorporating Lie Kee Pong Partnership)
Advice provided in this column is not meant as a substitute for comprehensive professional advice.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Demand For Bungalow Sites Expected To Rise
Source : The Sunday Times, Jan 13, 2008
Landed home prices likely to continue last year's surge and jump by up to 15% this year, say analysts
PROPERTY analysts believe this will be the year for mid- and mass-market properties to shine - but they say demand for landed homes should also remain favourable.
They expect prices of landed homes to climb by 10 per cent or even as much as 15 per cent this year.
BUNGALOW SITES ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR SIZE AND SHORT SUPPLY, and this 4,695 sq ft bungalow, which has an indicative price of $3.6 million, is one of the few in the Siglap area that will be put up for sale via auction this month. -- PHOTO: COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL
SOME AUCTION HOUSES ARE TARGETING SMALL DEVELOPERS or investors with sites such as the 12,847 sq ft plot in Branksome Road. This site has the potential to be redeveloped into a conventional landed project or a cluster housing project. -- PHOTO: JONES LANG LASALLE
That sort of rise may not be spectacular but is still substantial as it comes off a high base last year, when prices of such homes are estimated to have risen 25 per cent to 27 per cent, according to property consultancy Knight Frank.
A year earlier, in 2006, the price climb was just 6.7 per cent.
'The landed home sector was a laggard compared with non-landed homes,' says Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak. 'It started to pick up last year when people noticed that it was slightly undervalued.'
Good-class bungalows, in particular, attracted strong demand as wealthy homebuyers zeroed in on these large and exclusive houses in prime districts.
But demand for smaller bungalows remains fairly strong too as such properties are limited in supply, says Ms Grace Ng, the deputy managing director of agency and business services at Colliers International.
And what supply there was has dwindled. Many have been redeveloped into semi-detached and terrace houses as a result of the favourable property market conditions of the past two years, she said.
Bungalow sites do not come along often, but there are a few available at this month's auctions.
Ms Ng said Colliers has a distinctive bungalow that will be put up for sale this month. Located in the Siglap area, the two-storey bungalow has an 'English cottage' architectural design and is one of the few bungalows in the area.
The design was inspired by the houses the owner and her late husband saw during their postgraduate years in Britain.
The 4,695 sq ft property - in its original condition - was built in the 1950s and has an indicative price of $3.6 million or $766 per sq ft (psf).
Recent transactions in the same area - district 15 - ranged between $650 psf and $780 psf for two-storey detached houses.
Two large bungalow sites aimed at small developers or investors are also up for auction, at other houses.
One is in Branksome Road, off Tanjong Katong Road. It has a land area of 12,847 sq ft and an indicative value of $900 psf to $950 psf.
Ms Mok Sze Sze, the head of auctions at Jones Lang LaSalle, said this site has the potential to be redeveloped into a conventional landed project or a cluster housing project with six to eight units.
Cluster bungalows in the area are going for about $3.6 million to $4 million each, she said.
Knight Frank too will be auctioning a landed property, at the end of the month: a 14,170 sq ft site in Clacton Road off Meyer Road. It has an indicative value of $1,000 psf to $1,200 psf and can be redeveloped into three bungalows, said the firm's executive director (auctions), Ms Mary Sai.
Recently, demand for landed homes has also come from those who pocketed lump sums in cash from collective sales, said Mr Mak.
'Landed homes have always been a different class because foreigners can't buy them,' he said.
The market is much smaller than that for condominiums and apartments, which also means it will not be as liquid, said Mr Mak.
In addition, buyers nowadays are not prepared to pay too high a price above valuation, said Ms Ng of Colliers International.
This is due to high construction costs, cautious market sentiment, and the steep price increase over the past two years, she said.
Strong interest
'The landed home sector was a laggard compared with non-landed homes. It started to pick up last year when people noticed that it was slightly undervalued.'
MR MAK, on the surge in demand for landed homes that began last year and is estimated to have pushed prices 25 per cent to 27 per cent higher
Landed home prices likely to continue last year's surge and jump by up to 15% this year, say analysts
PROPERTY analysts believe this will be the year for mid- and mass-market properties to shine - but they say demand for landed homes should also remain favourable.
They expect prices of landed homes to climb by 10 per cent or even as much as 15 per cent this year.
BUNGALOW SITES ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR SIZE AND SHORT SUPPLY, and this 4,695 sq ft bungalow, which has an indicative price of $3.6 million, is one of the few in the Siglap area that will be put up for sale via auction this month. -- PHOTO: COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL
SOME AUCTION HOUSES ARE TARGETING SMALL DEVELOPERS or investors with sites such as the 12,847 sq ft plot in Branksome Road. This site has the potential to be redeveloped into a conventional landed project or a cluster housing project. -- PHOTO: JONES LANG LASALLEThat sort of rise may not be spectacular but is still substantial as it comes off a high base last year, when prices of such homes are estimated to have risen 25 per cent to 27 per cent, according to property consultancy Knight Frank.
A year earlier, in 2006, the price climb was just 6.7 per cent.
'The landed home sector was a laggard compared with non-landed homes,' says Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak. 'It started to pick up last year when people noticed that it was slightly undervalued.'
Good-class bungalows, in particular, attracted strong demand as wealthy homebuyers zeroed in on these large and exclusive houses in prime districts.
But demand for smaller bungalows remains fairly strong too as such properties are limited in supply, says Ms Grace Ng, the deputy managing director of agency and business services at Colliers International.
And what supply there was has dwindled. Many have been redeveloped into semi-detached and terrace houses as a result of the favourable property market conditions of the past two years, she said.
Bungalow sites do not come along often, but there are a few available at this month's auctions.
Ms Ng said Colliers has a distinctive bungalow that will be put up for sale this month. Located in the Siglap area, the two-storey bungalow has an 'English cottage' architectural design and is one of the few bungalows in the area.
The design was inspired by the houses the owner and her late husband saw during their postgraduate years in Britain.
The 4,695 sq ft property - in its original condition - was built in the 1950s and has an indicative price of $3.6 million or $766 per sq ft (psf).
Recent transactions in the same area - district 15 - ranged between $650 psf and $780 psf for two-storey detached houses.
Two large bungalow sites aimed at small developers or investors are also up for auction, at other houses.
One is in Branksome Road, off Tanjong Katong Road. It has a land area of 12,847 sq ft and an indicative value of $900 psf to $950 psf.
Ms Mok Sze Sze, the head of auctions at Jones Lang LaSalle, said this site has the potential to be redeveloped into a conventional landed project or a cluster housing project with six to eight units.
Cluster bungalows in the area are going for about $3.6 million to $4 million each, she said.
Knight Frank too will be auctioning a landed property, at the end of the month: a 14,170 sq ft site in Clacton Road off Meyer Road. It has an indicative value of $1,000 psf to $1,200 psf and can be redeveloped into three bungalows, said the firm's executive director (auctions), Ms Mary Sai.
Recently, demand for landed homes has also come from those who pocketed lump sums in cash from collective sales, said Mr Mak.
'Landed homes have always been a different class because foreigners can't buy them,' he said.
The market is much smaller than that for condominiums and apartments, which also means it will not be as liquid, said Mr Mak.
In addition, buyers nowadays are not prepared to pay too high a price above valuation, said Ms Ng of Colliers International.
This is due to high construction costs, cautious market sentiment, and the steep price increase over the past two years, she said.
Strong interest
'The landed home sector was a laggard compared with non-landed homes. It started to pick up last year when people noticed that it was slightly undervalued.'
MR MAK, on the surge in demand for landed homes that began last year and is estimated to have pushed prices 25 per cent to 27 per cent higher
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Sorry, You Must Sell
Source : The Electric New Paper, January 12, 2008
Higher offer, so owner tries to back out of deal. Judge says:
THEY had signed the option form for a $3.86 million condo.
But the seller, Indonesian businessman Sukanda Sutisna, had an offer that was $90,000 higher.
Then the excuses started.
The Draycott Park condominium had termites and it was leaking, Mr Sukanda claimed.
Draycott Park condominium, near Stevens Road. -- Picture: GAVIN FOO
But despite this, the buyers, Mr Ahuja Vivek Gopaldas and another unnamed person, wanted the property.
Then came Mr Sukanda's final tactic - he claimed the buyers did not sign the option form in time.
The case went to the High Court and the judge ruled in favour of the buyers last July.
UPHELD VERDICT
In December, he upheld his verdict after Mr Sukanda appealed.
Justice Lee Seiu Kin found that the plantiffs had properly exercised the option to buy the unit.
Justice Lee pointed out inconsistencies in Mr Sukanda's version of events.
Mr Sukanda argued that the buyers had a day to decide whether to exercise their option to buy and that this had expired by the time the buyers signed theoption.
However, this was found to be baseless, as the accepted industry practice is that interested buyers have a 14-day period to exercise their option.
Mr Sukanda also accepted the buyers' cheque of $38,600 after the 'one-day' expiry.
He had also signed the option for the buyers to buy the unit in front of the housing agent.
Justice Lee said in his judgment: 'He would have to explain why, if he had agreed to sell that property at $3.86 (million) shortly after 6.15pm on 2 Apr 2007, he would sign an option that had expired even before he signed it.
'There are, of course, other less benign reasons.
'For instance, if he had signed the option with the knowledge that it was a worthless piece of paper at the outset, his motives in accepting the cheque could be called into question.'
Justice Lee found the buyers' version of events to be more acceptable.
They said they responded to a property advertisement placed last March in The Straits Times for the Draycott Park unit.
They dealt with a housing agent called Carmen Ng Li Hua, who worked for Electronic Realty Associates.
They visited the apartment many times and decided to make an offer of $3.86million on 1 Apr last year.
Mr Sukanda had wanted to sell it for at least $3.85m.
On the same day, the buyers handed Ms Ng a cheque of $38,600 as 1 per cent of the offer price.
Mr Sukanda was to accept the cheque only if he agreed to the offer.
He was also to sign the option-to-purchase form.
Ms Ng was told by the buyers that they wanted a 14-day period from 1Apr to exercise their option to buy, should Mr Sukanda accept it.
OPTION DELIVERED
The next day at 6.40pm, Ms Ng went to the buyers' house at Claymore Hill to deliver the signed option.
Mr Sukanda had signed it half an hour earlier at his home in Balmoral Park.
At 9.40pm that day, Mr Sukanda's daughter, Imelda, received a call from another housing agent.
The agent said a buyer from HongKong was prepared to pay $3.95m for the Draycott Park unit.
Ms Ng was aware of this offer much earlier, at 7.20pm.
But as the deal with the buyers was already settled, Ms Ng did not inform Mr Sukanda of the new offer.
On the morning of 3 Apr, Ms Ng was called to meet Mr Sukanda, his daughter and their lawyer Nicholas Loh of Legal21.
At the meeting, Ms Ng was told she had mishandled the sale and was negligent as she did not respond to the other housing agent's offer.
As a result, Mr Sukanda missed out on selling the condo unit at a higher price.
Ms Ng was then instructed to find out if the buyers wanted to exercise their option to buy the unit.
The plaintiffs said they would exercise their option to buy.
The next day, a cheque of $154,400 was sent to Mr Sukanda's lawyers by the buyers. This was payment for the deposit balance.
The cheque was later returned to the buyers by Mr Sukanda's lawyers.
They were informed that Mr Sukanda said the option expired on 2 Apr, a day after the plaintiffs made the first offer.
It was then that the plaintiffs took the case to court.
Higher offer, so owner tries to back out of deal. Judge says:
THEY had signed the option form for a $3.86 million condo.
But the seller, Indonesian businessman Sukanda Sutisna, had an offer that was $90,000 higher.
Then the excuses started.
The Draycott Park condominium had termites and it was leaking, Mr Sukanda claimed.
Draycott Park condominium, near Stevens Road. -- Picture: GAVIN FOOBut despite this, the buyers, Mr Ahuja Vivek Gopaldas and another unnamed person, wanted the property.
Then came Mr Sukanda's final tactic - he claimed the buyers did not sign the option form in time.
The case went to the High Court and the judge ruled in favour of the buyers last July.
UPHELD VERDICT
In December, he upheld his verdict after Mr Sukanda appealed.
Justice Lee Seiu Kin found that the plantiffs had properly exercised the option to buy the unit.
Justice Lee pointed out inconsistencies in Mr Sukanda's version of events.
Mr Sukanda argued that the buyers had a day to decide whether to exercise their option to buy and that this had expired by the time the buyers signed theoption.
However, this was found to be baseless, as the accepted industry practice is that interested buyers have a 14-day period to exercise their option.
Mr Sukanda also accepted the buyers' cheque of $38,600 after the 'one-day' expiry.
He had also signed the option for the buyers to buy the unit in front of the housing agent.
Justice Lee said in his judgment: 'He would have to explain why, if he had agreed to sell that property at $3.86 (million) shortly after 6.15pm on 2 Apr 2007, he would sign an option that had expired even before he signed it.
'There are, of course, other less benign reasons.
'For instance, if he had signed the option with the knowledge that it was a worthless piece of paper at the outset, his motives in accepting the cheque could be called into question.'
Justice Lee found the buyers' version of events to be more acceptable.
They said they responded to a property advertisement placed last March in The Straits Times for the Draycott Park unit.
They dealt with a housing agent called Carmen Ng Li Hua, who worked for Electronic Realty Associates.
They visited the apartment many times and decided to make an offer of $3.86million on 1 Apr last year.
Mr Sukanda had wanted to sell it for at least $3.85m.
On the same day, the buyers handed Ms Ng a cheque of $38,600 as 1 per cent of the offer price.
Mr Sukanda was to accept the cheque only if he agreed to the offer.
He was also to sign the option-to-purchase form.
Ms Ng was told by the buyers that they wanted a 14-day period from 1Apr to exercise their option to buy, should Mr Sukanda accept it.
OPTION DELIVERED
The next day at 6.40pm, Ms Ng went to the buyers' house at Claymore Hill to deliver the signed option.
Mr Sukanda had signed it half an hour earlier at his home in Balmoral Park.
At 9.40pm that day, Mr Sukanda's daughter, Imelda, received a call from another housing agent.
The agent said a buyer from HongKong was prepared to pay $3.95m for the Draycott Park unit.
Ms Ng was aware of this offer much earlier, at 7.20pm.
But as the deal with the buyers was already settled, Ms Ng did not inform Mr Sukanda of the new offer.
On the morning of 3 Apr, Ms Ng was called to meet Mr Sukanda, his daughter and their lawyer Nicholas Loh of Legal21.
At the meeting, Ms Ng was told she had mishandled the sale and was negligent as she did not respond to the other housing agent's offer.
As a result, Mr Sukanda missed out on selling the condo unit at a higher price.
Ms Ng was then instructed to find out if the buyers wanted to exercise their option to buy the unit.
The plaintiffs said they would exercise their option to buy.
The next day, a cheque of $154,400 was sent to Mr Sukanda's lawyers by the buyers. This was payment for the deposit balance.
The cheque was later returned to the buyers by Mr Sukanda's lawyers.
They were informed that Mr Sukanda said the option expired on 2 Apr, a day after the plaintiffs made the first offer.
It was then that the plaintiffs took the case to court.
4-Room Jalan Membina Flat Sells For A Record $609 psf
Source : The Straits Times, Jan 12, 2008
It is believed to be the first time an HDB flat has crossed the $600 psf mark
A FOUR-ROOM flat at Jalan Membina has smashed the record for the most expensive Housing Board (HDB) flat ever to change hands in terms of price per sq ft (psf).
The 969 sq ft flat sold for $590,000 two weeks ago, which works out to $609 psf - believed to be the first time an HDB flat has ever crossed the $600 psf threshold.
A fabulous view towards Sentosa, and a superb location near Tiong Bahru MRT station and Tiong Bahru Plaza, are being cited as key factors for the very high price.
The last record, reported only days ago, was set by an executive flat in Mei Ling Street with a much larger floor area of 1,614 sq ft, which sold for an eye-popping $890,000, or $552 psf.
Smaller flats usually command higher psf prices - if the Mei Ling flat had been sold at the same $609 psf price as the Jalan Membina flat, it would have fetched $983,000.
Ms Mylene Kwan, 33, a PropNex housing agent who brokered the latest deal, told The Straits Times yesterday that the buyers were a middle-aged couple who recently sold a Queenstown executive flat and needed a new home.
The flat, in Block 21, had a valuation of $475,000. It is a five-year-old unit on a high floor of the 30-storey block, said Ms Kwan.
'The flat was quite attractive, well-maintained, relatively new, and quiet.' The sellers, a couple aged over 50, declined to be interviewed.
The latest record stunned some industry players.
Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak said the price was 'unusual' - even 'irrational' - given that buyers spending more than $600 psf were typically looking at mass market suburban condos.
'With this price now, you could buy a 99-year condo at outlying estates,' said Mr Mak.
HDB's latest data show four-room units in the same area sold for $415,00 to $495,000 late last year.
Mr Mohamed Ismail, head of property agency PropNex, said the flat's location was likely to be the main factor. 'If bigger five-room, executive units at prime locations sell at this price, HDB prices will push towards the $1 million mark,' he said.
Mr Eugene Lim, assistant vice-president of ERA Singapore, said this was very unlikely. He was not surprised at the price as smaller units usually get higher psf prices.
Mr Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore, said the sale was likely to be a 'one-off' event. It was likely the result of a 'ripple effect' from the private sector, where recent en bloc sales have flooded the market with cash-rich homebuyers looking to downgrade to an HDB home.
Record deals
# Location:Jalan Membina
Flat type: Four-room
Price: $590k for 969 sq ft
Price (psf): $609
# Location: Marine Parade
Flat type: Five-room
Price: $750,888 for 1,300 sq ft
Price (psf): $577
# Location: Mei Ling Street
Flat type: Executive
Price: $890k for 1,614 sq ft
Price (psf): $552
It is believed to be the first time an HDB flat has crossed the $600 psf mark
A FOUR-ROOM flat at Jalan Membina has smashed the record for the most expensive Housing Board (HDB) flat ever to change hands in terms of price per sq ft (psf).
The 969 sq ft flat sold for $590,000 two weeks ago, which works out to $609 psf - believed to be the first time an HDB flat has ever crossed the $600 psf threshold.
A fabulous view towards Sentosa, and a superb location near Tiong Bahru MRT station and Tiong Bahru Plaza, are being cited as key factors for the very high price.
The last record, reported only days ago, was set by an executive flat in Mei Ling Street with a much larger floor area of 1,614 sq ft, which sold for an eye-popping $890,000, or $552 psf.
Smaller flats usually command higher psf prices - if the Mei Ling flat had been sold at the same $609 psf price as the Jalan Membina flat, it would have fetched $983,000.
Ms Mylene Kwan, 33, a PropNex housing agent who brokered the latest deal, told The Straits Times yesterday that the buyers were a middle-aged couple who recently sold a Queenstown executive flat and needed a new home.
The flat, in Block 21, had a valuation of $475,000. It is a five-year-old unit on a high floor of the 30-storey block, said Ms Kwan.
'The flat was quite attractive, well-maintained, relatively new, and quiet.' The sellers, a couple aged over 50, declined to be interviewed.
The latest record stunned some industry players.
Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak said the price was 'unusual' - even 'irrational' - given that buyers spending more than $600 psf were typically looking at mass market suburban condos.
'With this price now, you could buy a 99-year condo at outlying estates,' said Mr Mak.
HDB's latest data show four-room units in the same area sold for $415,00 to $495,000 late last year.
Mr Mohamed Ismail, head of property agency PropNex, said the flat's location was likely to be the main factor. 'If bigger five-room, executive units at prime locations sell at this price, HDB prices will push towards the $1 million mark,' he said.
Mr Eugene Lim, assistant vice-president of ERA Singapore, said this was very unlikely. He was not surprised at the price as smaller units usually get higher psf prices.
Mr Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore, said the sale was likely to be a 'one-off' event. It was likely the result of a 'ripple effect' from the private sector, where recent en bloc sales have flooded the market with cash-rich homebuyers looking to downgrade to an HDB home.
Record deals
# Location:Jalan Membina
Flat type: Four-room
Price: $590k for 969 sq ft
Price (psf): $609
# Location: Marine Parade
Flat type: Five-room
Price: $750,888 for 1,300 sq ft
Price (psf): $577
# Location: Mei Ling Street
Flat type: Executive
Price: $890k for 1,614 sq ft
Price (psf): $552
5 New ERP Gantries Built Outside City Area
Source : The Straits Times, Jan 12, 2008
Mostly in residential areas, they will be activated only when traffic flow worsens
MOTORISTS can expect to pay more to use the roads over the next few months when five new ERP gantries - mostly in the heart of residential areas - are up and running.
The gantries are in Upper Bukit Timah Road (outside Hume Park), Toa Payoh Lorong 6, Upper Boon Keng Road, Kallang Bahru Road and Geylang Bahru Road.
READY: This new ERP gantry at Toa Payoh Lorong 6 is one of five which will be switched on when traffic flow falls below 'optimal speeds', says the LTA. -- ST PHOTOS: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said these gantries will be switched on when traffic flow falls below 'optimal speeds' - defined as 45kmh to 65kmh for expressways and 20kmh to 30kmh for non-expressways. Sources expect the ranges to be raised this year, which means Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) could be implemented on more roads - even in the evening.
Some residents are already voicing concern over why the new gantries are in their neighbourhoods.
Commenting on the gantry outside Hume Park, Bukit Timah resident Bervyn Lee, 43, said: 'The road here can get jammed. But will a gantry solve the problem?
'My feeling is that it will just redistribute traffic around,' the director of sports culture at the Singapore Sports Council added.
Toa Payoh resident Tony Chan, 68, a retiree, wanted to know why the Lorong 6 gantry was at the entrance to the residential area.
The LTA spokesman said the new gantry plugs a gap in an outer ERP cordon that seals off non-expressway routes into the city. He said if gantries were at exit points of Toa Payoh, more residents in the estate would be affected.
But the spokesman added that 'the new gantries are built because traffic conditions on these identified roads may soon deteriorate below the optimal speed range'.
When the new ones are operational, the motoring public will have more than 60 gantries to navigate. Indications are that more will come as the Government shifts the taxation burden from vehicle ownership to usage.
Gantries in the residential heartland will also have an impact on those who take taxis.
Cabbies tend to avoid ERP-controlled roads because of the extra cost incurred. Hence residents in Toa Payoh, for instance, might find it difficult to hail a cab in the morning when the Lorong 6 gantry is switched on.
'To many drivers, ERP is a big deterrent,' said cabby Myke Purba, 62.
Mostly in residential areas, they will be activated only when traffic flow worsens
MOTORISTS can expect to pay more to use the roads over the next few months when five new ERP gantries - mostly in the heart of residential areas - are up and running.
The gantries are in Upper Bukit Timah Road (outside Hume Park), Toa Payoh Lorong 6, Upper Boon Keng Road, Kallang Bahru Road and Geylang Bahru Road.
READY: This new ERP gantry at Toa Payoh Lorong 6 is one of five which will be switched on when traffic flow falls below 'optimal speeds', says the LTA. -- ST PHOTOS: BRYAN VAN DER BEEKThe Land Transport Authority (LTA) said these gantries will be switched on when traffic flow falls below 'optimal speeds' - defined as 45kmh to 65kmh for expressways and 20kmh to 30kmh for non-expressways. Sources expect the ranges to be raised this year, which means Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) could be implemented on more roads - even in the evening.
Some residents are already voicing concern over why the new gantries are in their neighbourhoods.
Commenting on the gantry outside Hume Park, Bukit Timah resident Bervyn Lee, 43, said: 'The road here can get jammed. But will a gantry solve the problem?
'My feeling is that it will just redistribute traffic around,' the director of sports culture at the Singapore Sports Council added.
Toa Payoh resident Tony Chan, 68, a retiree, wanted to know why the Lorong 6 gantry was at the entrance to the residential area.The LTA spokesman said the new gantry plugs a gap in an outer ERP cordon that seals off non-expressway routes into the city. He said if gantries were at exit points of Toa Payoh, more residents in the estate would be affected.
But the spokesman added that 'the new gantries are built because traffic conditions on these identified roads may soon deteriorate below the optimal speed range'.
When the new ones are operational, the motoring public will have more than 60 gantries to navigate. Indications are that more will come as the Government shifts the taxation burden from vehicle ownership to usage.
Gantries in the residential heartland will also have an impact on those who take taxis.
Cabbies tend to avoid ERP-controlled roads because of the extra cost incurred. Hence residents in Toa Payoh, for instance, might find it difficult to hail a cab in the morning when the Lorong 6 gantry is switched on.
'To many drivers, ERP is a big deterrent,' said cabby Myke Purba, 62.
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