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Making Singapore more liveable through enforcement

Despite our desire for a more liveable city, inconsiderate or even illegal actions that cause trouble or danger seem to be on the rise. Cars are parked in front of driveways along narrow roads, preventing residents from driving in or out. Trash is thrown on the pavements. Pedestrians jaywalk as cars whiz past. Drivers stop and block traffic next to double zig-zag yellow lines. Smokers smoke where they like. Motorbikes park on the pavements in the Central Business District. Taxis speed along at 120kmh on the expressway. Able-bodied commuters hog priority seats on the train. The list goes on. In the early post-independence days, it seemed easier to improve people’s behaviour.

Despite our desire for a more liveable city, inconsiderate or even illegal actions that cause trouble or danger seem to be on the rise. Cars are parked in front of driveways along narrow roads, preventing residents from driving in or out. Trash is thrown on the pavements. Pedestrians jaywalk as cars whiz past. Drivers stop and block traffic next to double zig-zag yellow lines. Smokers smoke where they like. Motorbikes park on the pavements in the Central Business District. Taxis speed along at 120kmh on the expressway. Able-bodied commuters hog priority seats on the train. The list goes on. In the early post-independence days, it seemed easier to improve people’s behaviour.

INGRAINING GOOD BEHAVIOUR

Singapore earned its reputation as a fine city by imposing fines quickly on anyone who spat, littered, jaywalked, sped or parked in the wrong place. Enforcement officers were out in force; people believed they were likely to get caught and their behaviour improved. Over time, as culture changed and better behaviour became more common, enforcement was apparently reduced.

Around 2002, the National Environment Agency (NEA) explained its shift from the Ministry of Environment’s strategy of regulation and enforcement to its own emphasis on collaboration with the community, focusing more on environmental promotion than enforcement.

And despite a 28 per cent increase in the population from 2004 to 2012, the number of traffic violations recorded by the Traffic Police stayed below the 375,575 summonses in 2004 nearly every year during that period. In fact, in 2012, the number of summonses issued was 2 per cent lower than in 2004. For a while, as penalties remained on the cards, most people followed the rules even when they were not being watched and officers patrolling the streets were less visible.

More recently, however, good behaviour seems to be less entrenched and some have reverted to earlier norms of flouting the rules. Complaints about poor behaviour pop up almost daily in social, online and print media.

As Ms Kala Anandarajah wrote in the Law Gazette some time ago, in comments that focused on spitting but which apply to other behaviour as well: “The underlying problem comes from a lack of civic-mindedness and proper etiquette. The authorities have recognised that the first step towards eliminating the problem is to introduce laws. However, laws themselves are insufficient. Only heightened enforcement can reduce the indiscriminate acts.”

There are still a multitude of campaigns to persuade residents to improve their behaviour without enforcement and fines. But there is limited empirical evidence on the effectiveness of these campaigns.

I would further argue that exhortations for everything from being Clean and Green to driving safely do not seem to have changed people’s actions significantly and that stricter enforcement should be the way to go.

Second, studies indicate that enforcement works far better than campaigns, signboards or other tactics. An NEA study on littering, for example, found that “seeing a visible enforcement officer, and not necessarily one from the NEA, would have the greatest deterrent effect on their littering behaviour”. Similarly, Nanyang Technological University researchers found a reduction in accidents and cars running red lights when red-light cameras were put in place to enforce better driving habits.

STEPPING UP ENFORCEMENT

At Block 787A in Choa Chu Kang, the illegal parking that plagued residents for years is finally easing, thanks to the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to catch guilty drivers, with penalty letters mailed to violators.

Various government agencies are now looking at stepping up enforcement, with the Land Transport Authority, for instance, rolling out at least 30 more CCTV cameras to enforce parking regulations. The Traffic Police hired 50 more auxiliary officers for enforcement last year. The NEA increased its anti-litter enforcement hours by 50 per cent last year. Last month, it announced plans to set up a volunteer corps empowered to fine offenders who litter, spit, urinate or smoke.

Indeed, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said that in recent years, there are clear signs of increased littering and “we must therefore take strong enforcement actions and ensure that our penalties will deter those who continue to act irresponsibly”. These enforcement initiatives highlight the change that is underway.

Much as we might like to think that social pressure, campaigns or values education will work, enforcement seems to be the key in changing residents’ behaviour.

For enforcement to work, however, it needs to be more frequent, visible and consistent.

While hiring more enforcement officers and putting in more cameras costs money, it is also, unfortunately, likely that so many violators will be caught that fines will exceed the cost.

It can be hard for many of us to concede that the only way forward is more enforcement and that people will not naturally behave well. Given current trends, however, stepping up enforcement may be a necessary step to make the city more liveable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Richard Hartung is a consultant who has lived in Singapore since 1992.

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