Zero vehicle growth rate would be more effective

To free up more land for public transport and infrastructure, our Government should consider a zero vehicle growth rate. (“Growth rate of vehicles to be halved”: Oct 17)

A growth rate of 0.25 per cent will not help solve road congestion if plenty of Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) are also released.

Taken together, our car population will continue to grow.

With zero growth, the number of COEs would still rise, as it depends on the coming number of deregistrations, and that quantum should be enough to meet the desire for car ownership.

Those who can afford will continue to own cars, while those who cannot must find alternative solutions via public transport, which many of us are now using.

With limited land, Singapore cannot keep building roads to accommodate more and more vehicles.

Currently, about 45 per cent of households own a car. With more COEs and the vehicle growth rate, this figure will rise.

We must be realistic; a car is not a necessity, given our easy access to public transport.

And easy access does not mean public transport at one’s doorstep. A short walking distance or a bus transfer to reach an MRT station or our destination is not that inconvenient. We must be prepared to adjust our expectations.

The quota system can control only the vehicle population and growth rate but not usage, as some people do not mind paying for Electronic Road Pricing, and especially because the COE is a symbol of entitlement.

Besides land for roads, we must also think about the land for parking in areas where we live, work, shop, study and play. It all means less land for other essential developments.

We must also cope with illegal parking and further congestion in neighbourhoods.

An exception to a zero vehicle growth rate, though, could be considered for commercial vehicles, which are necessary for logistics and our economic growth, by allowing a small amount of growth for this category.