Singapore’s Experience in

Promoting Environmentally

Sustainable Transport

Mohinder Singh

Director, Research & Planning

Dean, LTA Academy

Land Transport Authority, Singapore

Global Forum on Transport and Environment in a

Globalising World

10 – 12 November 2008

Outline

• Background

• Sustainable Transport Strategies

– Making Public Transport a Choice Mode

– Managing Road Usage

– ERP Experience

– Meeting Diverse Needs

– Reducing Environmental Impact

– Management for Sustainability

• Conclusion

Singapore

Singapore

Note: Figures accurate as at end 07

CBD

Singapore

High-density

housing

Population : 4.6 million

Land Area : 707 sq. km43 km

23 km

5

Land Transport

• Road Network - 3,200 km

– Expressway Network – 160 km

• Vehicle Population - 851,000

• Car Population - 517,000

• MRT - 109 km

• LRT - 29 km

• Buses - 3,700 (325 routes)

• Taxis - 23,000

Travel Statistics

Daily Bus trips : 3.0 million

Daily MRT/LRT trips : 1.6 million

Daily Taxi trips : 0.9 million

Total PT Trips : 5.5 million

71981 2007 2020

Increasing Travel Demand

2.7 million per day

8.9 million per day

14.3 million per day

Land Use12%

73%

Roads

Others

15%

Housing

8

What Does It Mean?

• Increase in travel demand must be met

largely by public transport

• Cater to diverse needs of our people

Transport is a basic need

Protect environment for future

generations

3 Key Strategies on Land Transport

Make Public

Transport a

Choice Mode

Manage

Road

Usage

A People-Centred

Land Transport System

Meet

Diverse

Needs

• Public transport is the most efficient means of transport

Enhance integration of bus and rail system

Extend bus priority

Expand rail network

Integrated transport and land use planning

11

Integrated Planning

1972

Concept Plan1991

12

Distance based

Through fares

Integrated public

transport hubsIntegrated

Public transport

service information

Future Clementi Hub

(artist impression)Enhance

integration of

our PT

systemBus priority

Measures to

speed

up buses

Making Public Transport A Choice Mode

- Major Bus Improvements

Centralised

Bus Network

Planning

13

BB

Bus priority at junctions

Mandatory Give-Way at Bus BaysFull Day Bus lanes

Extending Bus Priority

14

Rapid Transit Network Today

Woodlands Extension

North-East

Line

Sengkang

LRT

Bukit Panjang

LRT

Changi Airport

Extension

East West

Line

North South Line

Total Length - 138 km

Total Stations - 110

15

Expanding RTS Network

NSL

EWL

Existing

East

North

West

North-East

In Progress

NEL

Central Region

Boon Lay

Extension

Downtown

Line

North South

Line Extension

Thomson Line

Eastern

Region LineTuas Extension

Circle Line

Future

169

Expanding Our RTS Network

RTS Density (km/million persons)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Singapore Hong Kong London New York Tokyo

• Current network: 138 km

(31km/mil ppl)

• By 2020 : 278 km

(51km/mil ppl)

• Enhanced connectivity

across the island

• 5-minute walk to an

MRT station in the city

Target by 2020

• Increase AM peak modal share on public transport from 63% to 70%

Target 2020 Mode Share

(am peak)

30%

70%- Public Transport

- Private Transport

2004 Mode Share

(am peak)

37%

63%

1. Make Public Transport a Choice Mode

18

Managing Road Usage

• Holistic package of measures to keep

roads smooth flowing for our motorists,

public transport commuters, and goods

vehicles

• Promote public transport

• Manage demand for road

use – A combination of

ownership & usage measures

(ERP)

• Optimise the road network

19

• Maximise capacity by

leveraging on

technology

• Expand road

network to meet

constrained demand

Maximise Road Network Capacity

Managing Private Transport

Demand

Demand Management

• Ownership Measures:

– Vehicle Quota System

– Other Ownership Costs

• Additional Registration Fee

• Excise Duty

• Road Tax

• Usage Measures:

– Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)

2. Manage Road Usage

Usage Restraint

Ownership Control

Vehicle Quota System (VQS)

• Implemented in 1990

• Mechanism to regulate

vehicle population

• Certificate of Entitlement

(COE) – valid for 10 years

• Open tender – twice a

month

Vehicle Quota System (VQS)

Average Growth in Private Car Population (p.a.)

7%

3%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

1980 to 1989 Since 1990

Car : Population

1 : 10

Area Licensing Scheme

Restricted

Zone

Ang Mo

Kio

CB

D

Bukit

Timah

Ang Mo

Kio

CBD

Bukit

Timah

• Implemented in 1975

• Reduced traffic entering the

Restricted Zone (RZ)

25

Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)

• Implemented in 1998

• ERP is a congestion

management tool

Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)

• Uses a delicated short-range radio

communication system to deduct ERP

charges from Cashcard

Electronic Road Pricing

How ERP system works

• All vehicle will be installed with a In-

vehicle units (IUs) for fixing charges

• Cashcard which is a pre-paid stored

card, are used for payment

• Every entry or pass under a control

point is automatically charged a fee

1st Antenna

Controller

ECS Site

Controller

Detector

Controller

2nd Antenna

Controller

AVID

Controller

Comms.

Controller

Central

Computer

System

Local

Controller

Housing

In-vehicle Unit

How ERP system works I

How ERP system works II

Antenna

Controller

ECS Site

Controller

Detector

Controller

Antenna

Controller

AVID

Controller

Comms.

Controller

Central

Computer

System

Local

Controller

Housing

Detector Controller

In-vehicle Unit

How ERP system works III

Antenna

Controller

ECS Site

Controller

Detector

Controller

Antenna

Controller

AVID

Controller

Comms.

Controller

Central

Computer

System

Local

Controller

Housing

ERP – Congestion Management Tool

• Review charges at 3-monthly intervals

• Charges increase when travelling speed at various road

drop below the minimum threshold level, vice versa

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Traffic Volume to CBD (AM Peak) Vehicle Population Car Population

ALS implementation

(June 1975)

ERP implementation

(Sept 1998)

(Before ALS)

Effect of ALS/ERP

Meeting Diverse Needs

• Implement barrier-free accessibility

• Environmental Sustainability

– Reduce GHG and Energy

– Protect Air Quality

• Non-Motorised Transport

– Extend provision of commuter facilities

– Pedestrainisation of streets

34

Barrier-Free Accessibility• MRT network

• Already fully accessible to

people with special mobility

needs

• By 2011: additional lifts at

stations

• Wheelchair accessible public buses

• Introduced in 2006

• By 2020: 100%

• Barrier free road facilities

• By 2010: All pedestrian

walkways, access to MRT

stations, taxi & bus shelters,

and public roads will be

barrier free

35

Environmental Sustainability

• Gearing our transport practices & policies

towards supporting environmental aims

CO2 Contribution by Sector (2005)

19%

16%

11%

54% Transport

Buildings

Consumers /Households &Others

Manufacturing

• 3R: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

• Recycled material in road

pavement construction

• Environmental Impact Study

• Environmental Management Framework for Construction

sites

• Achieved PUB’s Friend of water recognition

Incineration

PlantSemakau

Landfill

Waste

Reducing Environmental Impact from

Infrastructure Development

• ISO 14000 Certification

Management for

Environmental Sustainability

Training and

discussion on Best

Environmental

Practices at LTA

sites

Roundtable

Discussion for

Eminent Expert

Seminar on

Sustainable Land

Transport

Summary

Regulate vehicle growth

Meet diverse needs

Making public transport

the choice mode

Manage road usage

Thank you