Transport issues are multifaceted and should be addressed at macro level

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew’s decision to leave politics has brought Singapore’s transport issues to the forefront again (“Transport Minister Lui to leave politics”; Aug 12).

MRT breakdowns, the unfortunate leitmotif during his tenure, had a direct and personal impact on Singaporeans, but the issue is multifaceted. We must address this suite of problems at a macro level.

First, Singapore is a large city, yet we are primarily dependent on one central transport system: The MRT. The bus system has been relatively peripheral since the MRT network was opened in the late 1980s.

Our transport planners prefer that buses be used predominantly as feeder services that connect Singaporeans from their homes to the nearest MRT station for their main commute to work.

The risk is clear: Since we cannot expect any mechanical system to have 100 per cent uptime, we have to expect breakdowns, unfortunately.

Second, Singapore is largely a hub-and-spoke city. This implies that we are connected to the extent that we can get from one “hub” to another, for example Tampines to Jurong.

Direct connectivity between the two hubs is limited unless one can afford private transport. Of course, policymakers have been discouraging car ownership over time through the Certificate of Entitlement scheme.

Third, most of our workplaces are concentrated in a few central areas, whereas the majority of Singaporeans live in the west, east or north. Only those living in Commonwealth, Tiong Bahru, Redhill, Alexandra and Queenstown have it easier.

This is perhaps the leading cause of Singapore’s transport woes. During peak hours, much of Singapore’s working population travel on our arterial roads and MRT lines.

No transport policy can alleviate these bottlenecks because it is not prudent to sustain excess capacity during non-peak hours. Off-peak initiatives can help solve some problems, but they are not a game changer.

We should take a lighter regulatory stance towards private buses and taxis in the short term. In the longer term, we must start building public housing in downtown areas again. We can also expand business areas gradually.

We have tried to create business areas far from the central area, such as Changi Business Park. But this is not how a city grows.

Land pricing and zoning difficulties notwithstanding, we cannot sacrifice Singapore’s future for the sake of policy coherence.