To encourage car-lite society, make driving inconvenient

I disagree that flat public transport rates and fare caps will overcome Singaporeans’ obsession with cars (“Use flat rates, fare caps in push for car-lite society”; Jan 4).

First, using flat rates is not a fair system, as those travelling short distances would be paying more to subsidise long-distance commuters.

Second, passengers may travel further than necessary to make their fare worthwhile — for a simple meal, for example. Fare caps, which render the last few journeys of the day virtually free, would make this worse.

Third, high fares are not the root cause of Singaporeans’ preference for cars over buses or trains, as the cost of owning a car far outweighs that of taking public transport, taxis included.

That high Certificate of Entitlement prices have not effectively deterred car ownership shows that price was never the main motivation or deterrence. In fact, it makes cars more desirable for brand-conscious Singaporeans, many of whom do not mind overpaying or getting into debt just to own something they perceive as a prestige item.

To achieve a car-lite society, driving must be made inconvenient or even a frustrating experience. This would be more effective than making cars unaffordable or public transport more affordable.

For example, instead of increasing parking fees, let us reduce the number of parking lots. Instead of having more Electronic Road Pricing gantries, let us have fewer lanes on the roads.

In Japan, most roads are narrow and parking lots are rare. This forces the majority to take public transport.

But before we can implement something similar, we must ensure that our public transport can handle more people, is more convenient, moves faster and, most importantly, has world-class reliability with minimal delays and fewer breakdowns.