OPINION
How Singapore can become car-lite
NUS Cities aims to acknowledge the wisdom of practitioners in shedding light on how cities work, and what needs to be done to help them function better. Gopinath Menon, who helped set up Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing, examines ways to address the challenges of cities attaining ‘car-lite’ status.
In Singapore, one in three households owns a private car because no other mode gives the freedom, comfort and convenience of a car. The wide roads and avenues, coupled with good traffic management ensure that drivers rarely encounter acute traffic congestion, even during the peak periods. Car ownership is more than for just mobility but signifies one’s relative affluence and social standing. That is why owners are prepared to forego other luxuries to save enough money to pay the exorbitant price of a car.
There are downsides to roads and traffic systems designed mainly for cars- they make the city less friendly and less safe for pedestrians and cyclists, squeezing them out of the available space and polluting the environment.
Taming the car is not entirely new to Singapore. The 1971 Singapore Concept Plan had called for a slowdown in the growth of motorisation. A “Transit First” policy has been rigorously pursued and road pricing was introduced in the mid-1970’s to manage travel demand. Yet the car remains a much sought-out possession and is generally used for almost every single travel purpose by owners. Hence, the term “going car-lite” is appropriate for us.
“Car-lite” should not be confused with “car-free”. Car-lite means relying less on cars, and more on buses, trains, cycles and walking for mobility; or even teleworking where possible, while not eliminating car transport entirely.
The ambition and attitude of Singaporeans towards car ownership pose a hurdle to becoming car-lite. There are two possible ways which can accelerate the move towards a car-lite future
- by modifying infrastructure; and
- by getting the car drivers to accept the concept.
The first is easier; the second is more difficult to accomplish.
Infrastructure-wise, some of the road space that is used by cars can be reclaimed and modified for use by other modes of transport such as buses, cycles and pedestrians. This is not new to Singapore.
The vast network of bus lanes has meant reserving a traffic lane for efficient passenger-carrying modes. When bus lanes were first introduced in 1974, there were negative reactions from drivers, who felt that they had lost a full lane. However, there was some consolation that the bus lanes could be used by cars during the non-bus lane operating hours.
Pedestrian malls have converted all traffic lanes for pedestrian usage. The earliest one was at Raffles Place in 1972. Since then, several minor roads in the heritage areas of Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India have been converted to pedestrian malls. Full pedestrianisation of roads was accepted if there were some provisions for commercial vehicles to service the area. There are future possible candidates, especially in the HDB town centres with heavy pedestrian movements. These could be turned into pedestrian malls or “transit malls”, for use by pedestrians and buses.
Silver zones and school zones, introduced in the 1990’s are two examples where traffic lanes have been realigned, narrowed, and set up with safe refuges to reduce speed limits of vehicles and enhance the safety of the vulnerable road users, namely children and the seniors. Car drivers have not been averse to such traffic calming schemes.
A more palatable way is to introduce the car-lite concept when new districts and towns are planned. No messy retrofitting of existing infrastructure is needed. The planning methods consist of locating amenities close to each other, restricting the number of car lanes and car park lots, prioritising pedestrian convenience over vehicle convenience, and improving access by public transport, cycle paths and footpaths. Those who choose to live in these areas must accept the restrictions on cars. In 2018, it was announced that Marina South, Kampong Bugis, Woodlands North, Bayshore and the Jurong Lake District will have car-lite precincts. In 2022, it was announced that Tengah, Mount Pleasant and Ulu Pandan will be built as car-lite towns.
These modifications are telling drivers to accept that the dominance that they have enjoyed for so long on the roads has to be curtailed. This point can also be driven home by introducing harsher fiscal penalties to deter the widespread use of the car. But these measures create resentment because the car drivers feel that they are unnecessarily targeted with repressive measures; hence only reluctant acceptance from drivers is obtained.
Hence, other “softer” methods are also necessary to persuade the drivers to go car-lite. They can be given a taste of what it is like to be car-lite. To this end, car-free Sundays have been tested out in the Civic District and Orchard Road with some degree of success. Many of the participants did not feel lost without a car. Surveys showed that 7 in 10 had heard of the word “carlite” as a result of these programmes. When asked how they could help in getting to a car-lite society, they mentioned using public transport, carpooling or cycling.
Intermittent car free days in major districts will attract crowds if sufficient activities fill the day. The locations could also include HDB town centres. If more car free days are held at more areas frequently, it is one method of integrating car-lite measures into daily life and get a wider acceptance.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at the 2015 Clean and Green Week that Singapore will aim for a “Car-lite Singapore”. There are tools available to accelerate the move and some are already being implemented, but the pace has to be accelerated if we are to achieve target set in the Land Transport Masterplans,“that 90% of peak-hour journeys will be made either on foot, by bicycle or other car-lite means by 2040.”
Gopinath Menon, a member of the Public Transport Council of Singapore’s Ministry of Transport, is a Studio Leader for NUS Cities’ Liveable Cities course.