Comparative Essay on Transport Planning Policy and Practise Within One 'Developed' and One

'Emergent' Economy

Prepared for : Tim Jones, P37906 International Transport - Policy and Practise

Abstract

This paper explaining about planning policy and practice and also their effectiveness of the planning

strategy implemented within these two countries in South-East Asia, which are once were one

nation named Malaya but now both of countries are having an enormous different in economy level,

social structure and everyday lifestyle; Singapore and Malaysia. This paper aims to present in a

coherent way, the prominent characteristics of the transportation industry as it currently operates in

both of the stated countries. It identifies the major trends, the past and existing planning and

sustainable approaches in transport policies that would help to enhance the level of the services of

this industry. This paper will conclude either the transport planning on both countries are tend to

behave similarly or completely differ in relation to their respective transport policies.

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Case Study of Singapore and Malaysia by Sarah Izzati Abdul Monir

Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment Oxford Brookes University

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1.0 Introduction : Economy, Social and Culture

1.1 Introduction to Singapore

Singapore is a small island city-state and heavily urbanised. The island is located at the southern tip

of the Malayan Peninsula between Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore has a total land area of

778 square kilometres and 193 km of coastline supporting population of 5.8 million. It is separated

from Indonesia by the Singapore Strait and from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor. It is knows as one

of the highly developed state capitalist mixed economy which owns stakes in firms that comprise

perhaps 60% of the national Gross Domestic Product.(Department of Statistic Singapore, 2010)

Because of the flat nature of the island, transport within Singapore is mainly land-based and are

accessible by roads, including islands such as Sentosa and Jurong Island. Other major form of

transportation within Singapore is Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT), and also

connected to the other islands by ferryboat services. There are two bridges which become an

important connection between Singapore and Malaysia - The Causeway and The Second Link which

carries 60,000 vehicles on a typical day, with particularly bad traffic congestion on the eve of public

holidays.

Travel demand has rapidly grown due to some factors - high national revenue, expeditive household

formation, wide population distribution, changing demographic patterns and plethora of economic

and social activities. The number of motorized daily trips has increased almost threefold over the

past 21 years and 23% of the trips are made during the peak hours. Public transport also contribute

a high number of usage percentage, with 5 million daily trips within 3 million on buses, 1 million on

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and 1 million on taxis.

1.2 Introduction to Malaysia

While Malaysia on the other hand, are having two distinct parts which consists of Peninsular

Malaysia and the island of Borneo. It is 300 times bigger than Singapore with total land area is 329,

847 square kilometres and is the only country to contain land on both mainland Asia and the Malay

archipelago. Malaysia is recognized as one of the fastest developing country in the world, and

recorded as one of Asia's best. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by an average of 6.5% per

year from 1957 to 2005. (Department of Statistic Malaysia, 2005) Due to its booming economy, it

increased the citizen's disposable incomes and leisure time. Having the same trend as Singapore,

accessibility and mobility afforded by transportation are driven mainly by the growth private car

ownership. And driven by the cause, the share for public transportation has fallen dramatically.

In 2005, Malaysia has approximately 15 million vehicles - including motor cars, motorcycles, taxis,

buses and freight vehicles, plied Malaysian roads. Ninety percent of motor vehicles in Malaysia are

privately owned (Department of Statistic Malaysia, 2006). From 2000 to 2005, the number of

motorcycles and private passenger cars increased at an average rate of 4.5 percent and 10 percent,

respectively. According to Abidin et al. (2004), conservative projections place vehicle growth rates

over the next 13 years at 8 percent, with total vehicle numbers breaching 48 million by 2020. Figure

1 illustrates the actual and projected upward surge in motor vehicle numbers.

Figure 1 : Actual and Projected Number of Vehicles Malaysia (2000 - 2020)

Note: a = actual, e = estimated Source : Abidin et al, 2004 and Department of Statistic Malaysia (2006)

There are many factors contribute to the growth in vehicles privatization in Malaysia, including

increased population size and disposable incomes, fuel subsidies and decentralization of cities.

Malaysia's national car projects is one of the reason of motor vehicles growth by limiting the

options available to the government.

2.0 History of Transport Planning and The Significant Shift

2.1 Transport Policies in Singapore

Taking from 1960, the private vehicle population in Singapore is roughly 70,000 and risen up to

142,500 in the 1970 due to the rising household incomes, a suburban housing programme that are

away from the Central Business District (CBD), and unreliable public transport. And the number keep

rising with vehicle to population ratio as stated in Figure 2 :

Figure 2: Vehicle to population ratio

YEAR RATIO

VEHICLE POPULATION

1980 1 15

1996 1 10

2010 1 7

On 1996, Land Transport Authority (LTA) has set a mission to provide Singapore with a world class

transport system and a White Paper has been set out to prove the authority intention towards the

idea of achieving a high standard of transport that enhances the quality of life, good for economic

growth and helps Singapore to maintain the competitive edge.

The set policies based on a 1996 White Paper that recognised the following:

• Transport is not an end in itself but supports many aspects of economic and social life • The need to provide a wide spectrum of choice • That effective integration between modes is essential • Public transport includes all intermediate and end point facilities to enable door-to-door service. • The cost of consumption must cover the cost of supply Further to assist in delivery of the public transport vision it has managed private transport as follows:

• A vehicle quota system was introduced in 1990 to limit car ownership • Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) was introduced in 1995 to manage road congestion • A Certificate of Entitlement (COE) has been used to influence the demand (cost) for new cars (Source from White Paper : A World Class Land Transport System by Land Transport Authority, 1996) As the outcome of above action, private car ownership has reduced to about one car per ten

residents and public transport accounts for 55% of daily journeys in 2005.

2.2 Transport Policies in Malaysia

Decentralization of cities and Malaysia's National Car Project obliquely promoting the privatization

of motor cars. Addition to the poor public transport system, which decreasing public transport usage

given the government's private-transport-driven policies. Realizing and revolting to current issues of

car personalization, Malaysia has recognized the need for travel demand management in the Eight

Malaysia Plan (2000), as seen in the statement, "the increasing number of motor vehicles in all major

urban centres will require the implementation of public transport priority measures, car parking

control, local area traffic improvement schemes, restriction on heavy vehicles, greater

pedestrianization and the applicattion of ITS".

In Kuala Lumpur, travel demand management has been considered and included in the Transport

Master Plan for Putrajaya (Road Engineering Association of Malaysia, 1999). A car pooling program

was attempted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall in the 1990s but was considered as unsuccessful (Rahman,

1997).

During the Seventh Malaysia Plan, there are efforts to encourage public transportation and address

urban congestion using traffic demand management. But due to lack of enforcement and society

mentality, it appears that these measure are having a mild effects but there is a lot of room for

improvement. A study in 1999 recommended several policies and strategies to lessen congestion

and enhance air quality in metropolitan area. Some strategies implemented include on-street

parking restrictions, differential parking charges, one-way streets, pedestrianization, road system

improvements, priority bus lanes, contra-flow and restrictions on heavy vehicles entering the city

during peak hours (Eight Malaysia Plan, 2001).

3.0 Sustainability and Practicality : Concept and Practise

3.1 Singapore's World Class Transport

Towards achieving a world class transport system, a 1996 White Paper has put several aims which

will later benefits their citizens and also foreign investors. A world class transport system must

provide commuters with highly efficient, comfortable and convenient rides in free-flowing traffic.

(Land Transport Authority, 1996)

While most big cities in Asia are plagued with severe traffic congestion and associated safety and air

pollution problems, Singapore has basically solved their problem. Their answer is a balanced

programme that involves a mixture of elements including:

Integrating transport and land use planning

Expanding road network and maximising its capacity

Managing demand of road usage through ownership and usage measures

Providing quality public transport measures

(Sayeg, 2001)

Table 1 will summarize the components of sustainable transport planning system of Singapore.

Key Areas Modus / Proposals Present/Future Outcomes

Roads

Comprehensive road network Spread out and speed up traffic flows

Converted selected junctions into 2-4 tiers interchange

Speed up traffic flows while minimising the land use

Studying the feasibility of building Singapore Underground Road System (SURS)

City bound traffic can travel uninterrupted and by pass some busy streets and intersections

Harnessing technology to maximise network capacity

Provide navigational and traffic information

Advise motorists on optimal travelling speed

Public transport network

BUSSES

Buses priority on the road

Refurbished more than 100 bus stops as to improve for better services

Provide bus arrival information

Smooth and faster bus rides

Provide better services and comfort to commuters

Reduce the burden and anxiety of waiting of buses

TRAINS

Mass Rapid Transit and Light Rapid Transit

Joint venture in building high speed passenger rail services that connected Singapore-Malaysia

To serve heavy and light corridor of traffic

Provide capacity of higher frequencies, greater reliability and sense of permanence

Give travellers from both countries an economic and fast alternative to travel by road and air and increase economic growth of both countries

TAXIS

Performance evaluation scheme

Publication of performance indicators together with incentives for the best performing fleet operator

Differential pricing

Flexibility to taxi operators to offer a variety of differentiated services

Motivate taxi fleet operators to provide better taxi services to commuters, encourage better management of their fleets and hires and to improve their productivity and efficiency

Address the problem of supply-demand imbalance during peak periods

Give commuters more choice according to their need and economy

Integrated land use and

transport planning

Decentralizing commercial and other economic activities through the development of regional, sub-regional, fringe centres at MRT stations

Locating employment centres near residential areas

Better utilizations of MRT networks in both directions during peak hours

Reduce the need for people to travel

Demand management

Ownership Measure

Certificate of Entitlement (COEs) - requires resident of Singapore to bid for the right to buy motor vehicle, with the number of certificates deliberately restricted

To moderate the demand for cars and on usage measures to restrain utilization

Control congestion in Central Business District

Road Pricing

Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) and Road Pricing Scheme (RPS) - charge drivers entering downtown Singapore and first traffic congestion pricing to be successfully implemented in the world

Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) - Electronic toll collection to manage traffic by road pricing and as a usage-based taxation mechanism

Charge for road usage more efficient and equitable way

Table 1: Singapore's Sustainable Transport Planning (Source from White Paper: A World Class Land Transport System, Land Transport Authority Republic

of Singapore, 1996)

3.2 Malaysia: A New Realism Towards Sustainable Transport

Given the trends over past decades as Malaysian continued to sink ever deeper into automobile

dependency, the negative effects of high vehicle usage outweighed the benefits of accessibility and

mobility. (Kasipillai, 2008). The government has then being call forth to explore alternative measures

practised elsewhere for domestic adoption and an urgency for bold policy. National Transport Policy

and Strategy Study in 2003, provided an inventory and status o transport-related plans, studies as

well as projects undertaken by the Governments. The Study highlighted that current policy

statements were mostly mode-specific and related only to the development of individual transport

modes. (Ninth Malaysia Plan, 2006-2010)

Taken from the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), one of the highlighted prospects is encouraging

the use of public transport as the preferred mode of travel, particularly in urban areas, by promoting

seamless integration of various transport modes. Even though Malaysia is still behind compared to

its neighbourhood regions in developing efficient public transportation but the Government has

worked hard to promote and as well, improve the public services and strengthening law

enforcement.

Due to the increased automobile dependency and the government's inability to control it with

current laws, Malaysia has begun to explore a new five-pronged transportation policy. This would

allow the Malaysian government to use road taxes as funding for other problems, while the

elimination of fuel subsidiaries would decrease government spending. The fuel, car, congestion and

road taxes have been proposed in the hopes of lessening the use of motor vehicles, and therefore

solving the congestion and pollution problems (Sayford, 2011).

Table 2 explained the Five-Pronged Transportation Approach as recommended towards targeting

sustainable transportation system in Malaysia:

Approach Modus

Alterations of charges on road taxes and car insurance

Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) - altering the charging of both tax and car insurance from a fixed yearly cost to a per-journey payment

Elimination of fuel subsidies Lowering the subsidies at the pumps, initial savings can be channelled towards public transportation agenda

Gradually eliminated fuel subsidies, including regulatory and compliance costs

Imposition of fuel taxes and amendments in the bases for car taxation

Fuel taxes differentiated based on the amount of carbon, to encourage use of "cleaner" fuels

Revenue neutral system, in which low-emission cars are taxed at low rates while high emission cars are imposed high tax rates

Congestion charging, particularly in Kuala Lumpur

Road pricing where variables fees are charged when entering major cities

National road pricing Road pricing differentiated on fuel efficiency

(Source from Kasipillai, 2008)

4.0 A Place for Improvements:

Historically, Singapore and Malaysia were once reside together under one nation until Singapore's

eventual exits in 1965. Being so similar in context of cultural, languages, and even cuisines - yet

having so much difference in the implementation of transport sustainability. The Government of

Singapore has set up a Land Transport Authority since 1995 to spearhead improvements in their own

land transportation. Indeed in many areas they are at the forefront, being acknowledged by the

world for their achievements, as for example, traffic management in the city using world's first ever

Area Licensing scheme (ALS), in having a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system which has won

international acclaim and in operating one of the few commercially practicable bus services in the

world.

Even though Malaysia is well-known as one of the fastest developing country, but the nation has yet

to develop an efficient and sustainable transport planning system. Malaysia does have a National

Automotive Policy, which promote growth in automotives sector but does not have a division

dedicated solely to transportation management planning. One of the key reason Malaysia

population becoming dependent to motor cars is because of Malaysia's National Car Project -with

attractive pricing and protectionist policies, it becomes affordable to public. Malaysia's central public

transport is underfunded, over manned and does not cover the needed areas to provide adequate

transportation to the public (Slayford, 2011). Malaysia has tried to implement an Area Licensing

Scheme (ALS) in 1976 in Kuala Lumpur, similar to the scheme established in Singapore but after

installing 13 steels gantries at various strategic points within the city limits, a Malaysian Cabinet

decision in 1979 halted its full implementation. Three grounds for the rejection was given -

inadequate public transportation system, inadequate park-and-ride facilities and the non-existence

of an alternative route rimming the ALS boundary to allow traffic to flow without crossing the

Central Business District (Mohamad and Kinggindu, 2007).

5.0 Conclusion

Implementation of sustainable transportation system cannot be done in a short period of time.

Public acceptability needs to be earned in order to gain acceptance towards the proposed policy

package and proven to be fair to both individual travellers and society. Policies has to be tested in a

small scale before being launched as national regulations. As we can see from the discussion above,

Singapore had their basic policies tested and focus more on society needs rather than national

policy. Economy also do put some effects in the development of sustainable transport system, as we

know that MRT and LRT are two of the highest investment and only justifiable on heavy traffic

condition. Malaysia have the same aims as Singapore in improving their public transportation system

but due to lack of funds, the strategy remain quiet. Although Singapore and Malaysia does not

seems to have a lot in common, in actuality, they both should learn from each other mistakes and

try to improve their strategy by using expertise and technology transfer. The payoffs are going to be

spectacular, and making both of the nations recognized in the world's eyes.

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