Public transport : Miles to go before Singapore's world-class

businesstimes.com.sg :

Singapore ranks poorly among global cities for the reach of its public transport system, according to a recent comparative study of 50 cities by Ooi Giok Ling from the National Institute of Education. The Republic ranked 31st in terms of total length of public transportation lines per 1,000 people. The mediocre ranking is not a function of the country's small size, said Kog Yue Chong, adjunct professor at the National University of Singapore, who presented Prof Ooi's findings on her behalf at a public seminar on Wednesday [16 Jan 2008]. Singapore has just 0.1 km of subway track per square kilometre, compared with 0.4 km for Hong Kong, 1 km for London, and 4 km for Paris, said Dr Kog. 'We still have a very long way to go in terms of MRT transport. To reduce the car population, we need very good public transport,' he said.

Out of the 50 cities, Singapore also ranked 37th in terms of total length of reserved public transportation routes per thousand people. Singapore ranked 20th in terms of total number of public transport vehicles per million people. It also ranked 44th in terms of daily trips made by foot per person, and 8th in terms of daily trips made on public transport per person.

He also said Singapore's garden city concept does little for nature and biodiversity - a view echoed by many environmentalists here. Instead, planners ought to think about urban biodiversity. Part of this, ironically, is to consider packing more people into a smaller area. Cities should consider having higher population density, rather than expanding the urban area, said Dr Kog. Singapore's density versus that of other cities is 'actually not high', even though Singapore's density is high on a country-wide basis, he said.

- This ground-breaking study should provide ample ammunition for those who are keenly aware that we are nowhere near "world-class" in our public transport, as was trumpeted earlier in the media. 31st out of 50, 37th out of 50. This is way below average. We are not "world-class". Never have been.

There has been this recent flurry about revamping the bus system. Bus, bus, bus. Practically the entire speech was about the buses. More buses plying more frequently burning more dirty diesel? No, thank you. We need more rail. More railway tracks and train services to more destinations. We should learn from the French, who are going to run their trains and then planes on electricity. We should have more rail running on electricity, and, like the French, the electricity should come from nuclear power plants.

Post a Comment:

Comments are closed for this entry.

« Singapore exports... | Main | Asian stocks fall... »

Most popular blog postings on lowem.log :

1. 2010 Nissan Leaf electric car specifications : 107hp, 24KWh lithium-ion batteries, 100-mile range
2. 2010 Honda CR-Z hybrid, 2010 Honda Fit/Jazz hybrid models confirmed
3. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid preliminary specifications released
4. Singapore SIBOR rate falls to 0.69% in Jan 2009, lowest since Apr 2004
5. How to insert currency exchange rates into Google Spreadsheets
6. Singapore : Nuclear power not ruled out
7. Live spot gold price quotes chart on COMEX
8. 2010 Toyota Prius specifications released : 50 mpg, 1.8L, 134hp, Ni-MH, solar roof option

Featured articles on lowem.log :

1. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid preliminary specifications released
2. 2010 Honda CR-Z hybrid, 2010 Honda Fit/Jazz hybrid models confirmed
3. 2010 Toyota Prius specifications released : 50 mpg, 1.8L, 134hp, Ni-MH, solar roof option
4. Honda, GS Yuasa JV to make lithium-ion batteries for 2010/2011 Honda Civic Hybrid
5. New efficient nanotech materials may boost enhanced geothermal power systems
6. NYMEX crude oil recovers from $32.40 low after 2.2 mbpd OPEC production cut announced
7. Singapore property market recovery seen as private home sales surge 52% in Jul 2009
8. Singapore SIBOR rate falls to 0.69% in Jan 2009, lowest since Apr 2004

Custom Search