A vehicle to help regulate use of cars

I thank Mr Devadas Krishnadas for his excellent commentary “COEs and urban planning: Time to think big and bold” (June 12).

An affordable and reliable public transport system is a reflection of good governance and is the cornerstone of a developed country.

People buy cars out of need, for the pleasure of driving and as a display of wealth and status.

While we cannot control the latter two motivations for purchasing cars, we should strive to address the first and resolve the problem of congestion on the roads.

Given the advancements in technology, perhaps it is possible to put up travel periods for bidding, to control the number of vehicles on certain roads at a specific time, with different charges for each time slot.

At the same time, we can charge drivers on total distance travelled. Such price mechanisms can guide private car use.

They should also be implemented in tandem with efforts to make public transport a reliable, efficient and affordable alternative.

We should also review the 10-year limit on the lifespan of a car, based on its use.

A car that has seen greater use should be removed from the roads earlier than a less used one.