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#trending: New study says S'pore has the best roads in the world; drivers beg to differ

SINGAPORE — A study has found Singapore to have the best roads in the world, sparking intense discussion online on the state of road infrastructure and driving culture in the city.

Singapore scored 9.44 out of 10 in Zutobi's road quality ranking. The Netherlands attained the second highest score with 8.62.
Singapore scored 9.44 out of 10 in Zutobi's road quality ranking. The Netherlands attained the second highest score with 8.62.
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  • Singapore has been named as the country with the best roads in the world in a new study by international driver's education company Zutobi
  • The Land Transport Authority shared an article on the study on Facebook
  • It sparked intense discussion online on the state of road infrastructure and driving culture here
  • Some people said that road quality has gone down over the years
  • Others felt that the problem lies not with the infrastructure, but with drivers' behaviour on the road

SINGAPORE — A study has found Singapore to have the best roads in the world, sparking intense discussion online on the state of road infrastructure and driving culture in the city.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) shared an article on the study, published by international driver's education company Zutobi last month, in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 4).

"We attained the highest in the overall roads score and fewest road traffic deaths vis-a-vis other countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland and Japan," LTA said in the post.

Singapore scored 9.44 out of 10 in Zutobi's road quality ranking, the only country to earn a road score higher than 9/10. The Netherlands attained the second highest score with 8.62.

The study said that the road quality score is calculated using these factors:

  • Road quality
  • Improvements in road quality
  • Road deaths
  • The relative size of the road network

However, online users here were quick to disagree with the result, with many remarking that there is still "room for further improvement".

One sarcastic comment on Facebook read: "(Jurong Island Highway) has the 'BEST ROAD' nationwide. Dry cracked roads, patchwork, uneven roads, poorly maintained pedestrian pathways."

On similar threads in the Hardwarezone forum, motorists have also pointed out the "shoddy road patching" done by contractors after completing road works — which seem to be constantly ongoing in Singapore.

Potholes are not properly resurfaced, they said, but simply patched up or temporarily covered with metal sheets instead. This often leads to the potholes eventually re-emerging later.

One comment read: "They seem to skip levelling the road... and also skip (constructing) the camber of the road (angled surface to drain rainwater) properly with respect to drainage." 

A Hardwarezone forum member claimed on Oct 4, 2022 that the sidewall of his tyre had been punctured by a pothole along a road in Singapore.

Road surfaces aside, others were more concerned about safety measures on the road, such as street lighting and reflective road markings.

Facebook user Alan Ong said: "Directional signs aren't illuminated. Street lights are timed instead of operated by light sensors.

"Always lane marking guessing games at night when roads are wet."

Such conditions make Singapore's roads hazardous during heavy rain, he added, especially when "compounded with many drivers (who) choose not to (switch) on headlamps".

There were also road users who felt that Singapore's driving culture should have pushed it down the rankings.

One Reddit user said that after sharing the road with drivers in Australia and New Zealand, which was ranked fifth worst on Zutobi's road quality list, he wished that Singaporean drivers would be more like them.

"People give way there when you signal," he said. "And also, drivers there generally all stay within speed limits and don't do that stupid sudden-acceleration and sudden-braking driving."

Indeed, not even Formula One racing driver Lando Norris was exempted from the "sudden braking" experience when taking a taxi ride in Singapore last week.

Another Reddit user said: "Reasonably speaking, the roads are overall good. It will never be perfect everywhere every time, let's face it.

"But, I do hope we (can) have better courtesy on the road to match that road quality."

In its Facebook post, LTA said: "We're thankful for the feather in our cap. We will continue to press on with our efforts to maintain and improve our road infrastructure."

Related topics

roads driving motorists traffic LTA

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