Govt needs to convince S’poreans that public transport is convenient

SINGAPORE — Can the new master plan laid out by the Transport Ministry fuel the change it hopes to see in the general populace — a switch from private to public transport?

Experts yesterday weighed in on how the Land Transport Master Plan 2013 (LTMP) could achieve the goal of increasing the use of public transport over private transport: From demonstrating visibly the benefits of public over private transport, building air-conditioned bus stops, to changing the image of cars as desirable lifestyle objects.

A panel of three analysts at the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition — Dr Paul Barter from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; Mr Tony Dufays, Director of Regional Offices and Services at International Association of Public Transport (UITP); and Nanyang Technological University Adjunct Associate Professor Gopinath Menon — gave the LTMP the thumbs up, but said its success would hinge upon the Government’s ability to convince Singaporeans that taking public transport is more convenient than having a car.

Mr Dufays acknowledged that no plan could solve every transportation problem, and cautioned that Singapore’s ageing population, coupled with an increase in high-income individuals, would lead to an greater demand for better quality public transport.

Dr Barter said in order to reduce the reliance on cars, the Government would have to use the carrot-and-stick approach and provide a “bigger, juicer carrot” to attract people in the other direction. “An heroic effort is needed, and it needs to be more ambitious, he said.

Taking issue with advertisements that paint cars as desirable lifestyle items was Prof Menon, who felt that such advertising should be curtailed.

When asked for his views on the LTMP, transport analyst Professor Lee Der-Horng said he was initially shocked and disappointed by it.

“They covered broad areas, which is good, but the action plans were missing and the information very general and simplistic,” he said.

What was also missing, said Prof Lee, was the Transport Ministry’s future policy on taxis, a point that was also brought up by Mr Dufays, who said the taxi sector should not be underestimated as an alternative tool for those who use public transport.

Another missed opportunity, Prof Lee said, was the LTMP’s failure to address the pressing need for engineering and maintenance experts in the future to maintain the new rail lines that would open. “No tertiary institute at the moment has such expertise, and the authorities now have time to train individuals to prevent a shortage in the future,” he added.