What will happen if all the 3 policies you have chosen are not in place?

What will happen if ERP is not in place?
There will be a lot of people driving on the main road because there is no need to pay for the road price.The traffic flow will increase a lot as everyone will want to use the main road instead of choosing an alternative route to avoid the ERP. Less people will travel by public transport. More people will travel by cars or motorcycles which will cause air pollution.
However, the cost of living will decrease as drivers don't need to pay for high amount of ERP.


What will happen if Enhancing Accessibility is not in place? 
It will be very troublesome for the elderly, physically disabled and the blind to travel using public transport. The elderly and physically disabled need special facilities like lifts to travel in the Mrt station. Without the tactile guidance system, the blind have to rely on other people's help. They will not be able to travel independently. If they cannot travel by public transport, it will be hard for them to visit doctor thus worsening their conditions. 


What will happen if ITS is not in place? 

Without Electronic Regulatory Signs, some drivers might turn at a road without knowing it is prohibited. Without Parking Guidance System, it will be very troublesome to find a parking lot. More time will be wasted.  Without Junction Electronic Eyes (J-Eyes) and Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS), there will be more traffic congestions.

The advantage of Intelligent Transport System

Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS)  is very useful to the drivers. The drivers will be able to select an alternative route if there is an incident on the usual route that caused traffic jam. Even if they cannot go for another route, they can inform the person whom they are meeting earlier so that time will not be wasted. During school holidays, I was going to school from Jurong West for CCA practice in the morning. There was a car accident that caused serious traffic jam on Pan Island Expressway. I knew it from the  Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS)   so I was able to call my CCA teacher-in-charge to apologise and inform them. 


Parking Guidance System  assists the drivers to find parking space quickly. Less time is wasted for parking and one can choose which parking lot to go through the parking guidance system.



In conclusion, the Intelligent Transport System is effective in controlling the traffic flow and it decreases the wasted time of the drivers.

The advantage of Enhancing Accessibility

In MRT stations, there are ramps that allows wheelchairs to be moved up and down. Other than that, there are also lifts for the disabled to travel from the Mrt stations to the exit easily. Wheelchair accessible toilet is also a very useful facilities for the physically disabled. A tactile guidance system allows the blind to be able to take Mrt without help. They can follow the tactile guidance system to find their way in the Mrt stations. The policy of Enhancing Accessibility is a great help to the elderly, physically disabled and the blind.


Bus that is wheelchair accessible and low fleet allows wheelchair users to travel by public transport without much obstacles.


The implementation of CEPAS card technology for Pedestrian Facilities helps the elderly to increase the duration of the "green man" so that they have longer time to cross the road. This will increase the safety of the elderly and decrease the number of road incidents.

The advantages and disadvantages of ERP

ADVANTAGES:
1) Manage Traffic Congestion
To avoid paying for ERP, the drivers and motorists will consider to 
- Choose an alternative route-->less traffic on the main road with ERP. 
- Choose their time of travel-->less traffic during peak hours
- Travel by public transport-->less traffic
2) A fair system to motorists and drivers
-Motorists are charged too if they are using the roads during peak hours


DISADVANTAGES:
1) Higher cost of living
- A driver needs to pay a lot if they are travelling long distance at peak hours
- High expense on ERP 
2) Not very effective
- Certain drivers need to take the route during peak hours to go to work. They are willing to pay for ERP as they get to travel comfortably instead of taking public transport. 

This is a picture complaining about too many ERP gantries in Singapore. 

Personal Experience:
I am a foreign student. My parents just moved to Singapore last year. They live at Jurong West which is very far from my school at Hougang. During school holidays, I often need to come back to school for CCA. My CCA practices are in the morning and I will be late and tired if I choose to travel by public transport which will take 1 hour and 40 minutes to travel from Jurong West to Hougang. So, my mother fetches me to school if I have CCA practices in the morning. She needs to pay around $6 for every trip from Jurong West to Hougang as we usually travel during peak hours. The trip to and fro will cost her around $12. It is a high expense. 

From 00:30 till 04:18, the video is making sarcastic comments about the ERP in Singapore. The video is quite funny and ridiculous but it shows the disadvantages of ERP. 

LTA Singapore: A People-centred Land Transport System

From 3:09 onwards, there will be information about Electronic Road Pricing system, Enhancing Accessibility, and Intelligent Transport system in this video.

Intelligent Transport System(signs to detect traffic problems)

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) make our transportation system safer and more efficient.


There is a number of ITS operating in Singapore, which harness the power of technology and are becoming essential components within our transportation network. 


1)Electronic Regulatory Signs (ERS) 
Displays prohibited turning movements during specific time periods.

2)TrafficScan 
Uses taxis as probes on the road network to provide motorists with information on the traffic conditions island-wide.

3) Signalised Pedestrian Crossing
Facilitates time-sharing of road space between motorists and pedestrians.

4) Parking Guidance System 
Provides real-time information on parking spaces availability of participating developments. 

5) Green Link Determining (GLIDE) System 

An example of a computerised traffic light signalling system which coordinates signals and adjusts the green time accordingly.

6) Junction Electronic Eyes (J-Eyes) 

A traffic monitoring system installed at major signalised traffic junctions. These cameras alert operators at the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) control centre of any congestion or disruption to the traffic flow so that action can be taken quickly.

7) Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS) 

An incident management system – has also been put in place to monitor and manage traffic along the expressways. It provides early detection of traffic problems, quick recovery service for motorists in distress, and also alerts motorists to abnormal or dangerous traffic conditions ahead.

As the way forward, LTA would continue to develop and harness ITS technologies to solve transport problems. Future developments could include improved traveller information systems. Such systems will provide reliable real-time traffic information to drivers, or accurate bus arrival information to commuters. 

References: http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/traffic_management/intelligent_transport_systems.html

http://app.mot.gov.sg/Land_Transport/Managing_Road_Use/Intelligent_Transport_Systems.aspx 

Enhancing Accessibility ( MRT, Bus, Pedestrian Facilities)

As part of our people-centred land transport system, we have to provide for the diverse needs of our society and contribute to a quality, livable environment. In line with social and demographic changes to our society, we will put in place initiatives to provide better access for diverse groups such as the elderly, wheelchair users and families with young children. 


MRT

Since 2006, barrier-free facilities to assist the elderly and disabled have been made available within all MRT stations. Each of our existing MRT stations now have, at the cost of $81.5 million, at least one barrier-free entrance with a lift, a tactile guidance system and wheelchair-accessible toilets. 

Going forward, there will be a barrier-free access (BFA) route within 400m of all MRT stations. LTA will implement at least 2 BFA routes at 70% of MRT stations by 2011. Additional lifts and ramps will be provided at MRT stations such as Boon Keng, Toa Payoh and Queenstown, where station entrances are far apart or separated by a major road. This is so that our elderly and wheelchair users can avoid making long detours to reach the entrance that has a lift.

Bus

From 2006, all new public buses registered in Singapore have to be wheelchair-accessible. These buses will be introduced progressively to replace the existing fleet of buses. By 2010, 40% of public bus fleet will be low-floor and wheelchair-accessible and the intent is for this figure to reach 100% by 2020. 

Pedestrian facilities 

Barrier-free measures on roads and road-related facilities would be implemented to make it easier for the less mobile, including the wheel-chair bound, to move about on the public streets and to use the public transport system. By end 2010, LTA would have completed a $60 million islandwide programme to make pedestrian linkways, taxi and bus shelters, along public roads barrier-free.

LTA will also provide shelter to more pedestrian linkways and pedestrian overhead bridges. By 2010, 86 per cent of existing pedestrian overhead bridges will be provided with overhead shelters.

 In addition, a pilot implementation where CEPAS card technology is harnessed to lengthen the timing for the ‘green man’ for the elderly at selected signalised pedestrian crossings which are near healthcare facilities and transport nodes was launched in October 2009. 

References: http://app.mot.gov.sg/Land_Transport/Meeting_Diverse_Needs/Enhancing_Accessibility.aspx

Electronic Road Pricing(ERP)

What is ERP? 

Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) is an electronic system of road pricing based on a pay-as-you-use principle. It is designed to be a fair system as motorists are charged when they use the road during peak hours. Road pricing serves as an effective tool to manage traffic congestion and helps to internalise the external costs of driving, i.e. the impact on other road users and the environmental impacts, so that motorists are more aware of the true costs of motoring.  ERP has been effective in maintaining an optimal speed range of 45 to 65 km/h for expressways and 20 to 30 km/h for arterial roads. 

How it works? 

The ERP system uses a dedicated short-range radio communication system to deduct ERP charges from CashCards. These are inserted in the In-vehicle Units (IUs) of vehicles before each journey.

Each time vehicles pass through a gantry when the system is in operation, the ERP charges will be automatically deducted.

Aim 

The pay-as-you-use principle of ERP makes motorists more aware of the true cost of driving. This way, road usage can be optimised.

	Charges are levied on a per-pass basis and rates are set based on traffic conditions at the pricing points.
	A motorist is encouraged to decide whether to drive, when to drive and where to drive.
	He may choose a different route, mode of transport, time of travel, or not travel at all.
	Those who choose to pay and stay on the road will enjoy a smoother ride. The ERP system provides a targeted solution for congestion pricing by allowing the authorities to pin-point specific congestion spots and vary the congestion charge according to prevailing traffic patterns. Therefore, the charges can either increase or decrease according to the demand of usage of the priced-road or expressway. History  The first road pricing scheme, known as the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS), was introduced in the Restricted Zone (RZ) in 1975. The scheme was subsequently extended to major expressways with the Road Pricing Scheme (RPS). In September 1998, the ERP system replaced the manual system for the RZ and expressways. In September 1999, ERP was extended to some of our key arterial roads beyond the RZ. ERP rates and gantry locations 1. The operating hours of all ERP gantries end at 1pm on the eve of New Year, Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas. The ERP charges are not applicable on Sundays and all public holidays. 2. The time period(0730-0800) means the corresponding ERP rate applies from and including 7.30am and applies until but excluding 8.00 am.The same definition applies to other time periods.  References: http://app.mot.gov.sg/Land_Transport/Managing_Road_Use/Electronic_Road_Pricing.aspx                http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/lta/en/motoring/erp_.html?parent=&child=&root=erp_&rootFlag=none&parentFlag=undefined