Improving public transport is best way to curb car usage

I refer to the letter “Reasons for petrol duty hikes sound” (Feb 26).

Curbing carbon emissions and car usage may seem sound enough reasons for the hikes, but the frequent jams and slow traffic on our roads are underlying symptoms of a bigger problem: A lack of efficiency in our public transport system.

On the day the Budget and the petrol hikes were announced, the irony was not lost on us that a track fault caused a disruption in train service. (“North South Line hit by hours-long train service disruption”; Feb 23, online)

Other everyday problems, such as being unable to board a packed train or attempting to board a single-deck bus during peak hours, are some of the factors that push people to own a car.

I do not own one and the writer might consider car ownership as a privilege, but with the problems many of us face when using public transport, owning a car has become a necessity, especially for families with young children or seniors.

As the writer mentioned, an array of measures is required to ensure that our roads are smooth. Then, the best way to curb car usage is to improve our public transport and make people want to use an efficient, world-class system.

After all, if one is going out with one’s elderly parents, would they rather be seated comfortably in a car or squeezed into a packed train without a seat?