Change in mindset needed to wean S’poreans off their cars

I refer to the thought-provoking commentary “Weaning Singaporeans off their cars” (June 11), in which the writer compares Leipzig’s experience to Singapore’s efforts to increase the use of public transportation.

The commentary drove home the point that the need for alternative modes of transport is to be embraced rather than encouraged because it is more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

I agree that bolder measures, such as the improvement and addition of cycling paths and MRT lines to enhance the city’s interconnectedness, have to be entrenched to help augment and reinforce alternative modes of transport in Singapore.

But the onus is ultimately on the individual to be responsible for choosing his mode of transport after carefully weighing all the options because that is the most pragmatic approach for Singaporean society.

The perception of transport differs across countries with different geographies. For a country as vast as Germany, people need public transport merely to commute.

In Singapore, this same need is intertwined with social aspirations such as owning a car — evidenced by the fact that car users have not been deterred by high Certificate of Entitlement prices.

It is culturally ingrained here that the car is a status symbol that is key to advancing in the social hierarchy.

For large families, a car is also needed to ferry children or family members to their respective venues.

Consequently, while it is commendable to encourage bolder measures, these have to be reciprocated by the people.

The onus is on the individual to weigh carefully the need to own a car while being cognisant of its environmental and other costs.

For instance, in Amsterdam, widely recognised as the world’s most bicycle-friendly capital, the cycling culture was ingrained by bicycle activism in the 1970s.

A series of horrific traffic accidents and the “Stop De Kindermoord” (literally “Stop the Child Murder” in Dutch)protest movement helped engender the ubiquitous cycling culture in Amsterdam today.

While it remains a Sisyphean task for Singapore’s transport culture to undergo a paradigm shift into something resembling Leipzig’s or Amsterdam’s in terms of perceptions and culture, we can still advocate alternative modes of transport to the majority or at least the use of hybrid cars, which reduce carbon emission.