Draft #3 Summary_Reader Response: Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic

In the excerpt from Urban Solutions “Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic”, Tay (2018) expressed the need for Singapore to come up with more advanced traffic management measures by 21^st century to counter with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. In the article, Tay (2018) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) incorporated technology also known as “Intelligent Support Systems” to improve traffic efficiency.  The author also stated that LTA had implemented the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) to ease road congestion. Therefore, the Electronic Road Parking (ERP) system was introduced in replacement of the ALS. Moving forward, LTA would be introducing an upcoming satellite ERP system to remove the gantries and motorists will be charged depending on the distance travelled on high-traffic roads (Tay 2018). The author concluded that Singapore aims to become a city where everyone is comfortable living by upgrading the transportation systems to enhance the smooth traffic for Singapore road users.  

Although LTA has proposed alternative traffic management measures with the use of smart technology for commuters to travel efficiently, the author failed to discuss how the use of different modes of transport such as autonomous vehicles, trains and buses would help to improve traffic flow for Singapore road users.

To begin, the use of Autonomous vehicles (AVs) was introduced to help improve traffic flow and ensure that its citizens can travel efficiently on the road. According to the magazine, Choi (2019) stated that AVs do not require much space as compared to normal vehicles. There is no need to install staircases and lifts in the carparks as AVs are returned through a machine. The available space can be used for future road infrastructure developments to accommodate the increasing vehicle population. Furthermore, according to the news article, Abdullah (2016) reported that at least 90 percent of road accidents is due to human error. There is a need to introduce AVs as another mode of transport so that it has great potential in reducing the number of accidents and enhance smooth traffic for road users.

The expansion of the railway network has also helped to enhance the traffic flow and improve on the accessibility for its citizens so that they would consider taking public transport instead of private transport. According to Loh (2019), he stated that LTA will be expanding the current rail network which includes “new stations and rail lines over the next 20 years”. With the additional of two new stations for the North-South Line (NSL) by the mid of 2030s, people living in those areas can save up to 30 minutes of time when travelling downtown area. With faster and convenient MRT services, it would attract more people to consider taking MRT instead of their own vehicles and commuters can enjoy fast travel without causing congestion on the roads.

Apart from the use of AVs and trains, bus developments such as the “North-South Corridor” are introduced so that this will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and improve traffic congestion. In its webpage, LTA (2019) stated that it will be introducing the 21.5km North-South Corridor also known as the “North-South Expressway" with dedicated bus lanes that will stretch from Woodlands to the city centre to be completed by 2026. With the dedicated bus lanes, commuters can save the travelling time to city areas by up to 30 minutes. With the implementation of bus developments, this will help to reduce heavy traffic from the northern and central areas during peak hours.

In conclusion, Tay explained the alternatives of traffic management measures proposed by LTA. However, he did not fully mention how the use of different transportation systems can improve traffic congestion issues and enhance smooth traffic for its citizens. LTA has introduced public transport developments such as the use of AVs and improvements made to trains and buses which allows commuters to travel efficiently with public transport instead of taking private transport.

References

Abdullah, Z (2016, December 13). Driverless vehicles could change laws, insurance policies. Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/driverless-vehicles-could-change-laws-insurance-policies

Choi, C, Q (2019). How self-driving cars might transform city parking. Ieee Spectrum. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/autonomous-parking

Land Transport Authority. (2019, May 25). Land Transport Master Plan 2040: bring Singapore Together. Retrieved 30 September, 2019, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=de83f659-4b0d-4609-840e-3deb3ac9b4b9

Loh, J (2019, May 27). LTA just unveiled plans for more MRT stations and a possible new rail line that could cut 40 minutes of travel time to the city. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/lta-just-unveiled-plans-for-more-mrt-stations-and-a-possible-new-rail-line-that-could-cut-40-minutes-of-travel-time-to-the-city/

Tay, Q, W (2019, July 13). Tapping tech for smoother traffic. Urban Solution, Issue 13. Retrieved 28 September,2019, from https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-solutions/urb-sol-iss-13 pdfs/11_case_study-singapore-intelligent-transport-systems.pdf

Edited Version

In the excerpt from Urban Solutions “Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic”, Tay (2018) expressed the need for Singapore to come up with more advanced traffic management measures by 21^st century to counter with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. In the article, Tay (2018) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) incorporated technology also known as “Intelligent Support Systems” to improve traffic efficiency.  The author also stated that LTA had implemented the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) to ease road congestion. However, the Electronic Road Parking (ERP) system was introduced in replacement of the ALS. Moving forward, LTA would be introducing an upcoming satellite ERP system to remove the gantries and motorists would be charged depending on the distance travelled on high-traffic roads (Tay 2018). The author concluded that Singapore aims to become a city where everyone is comfortable living by upgrading the transportation systems to enhance the smooth traffic for Singapore road users.  

Although LTA has proposed alternative traffic management measures with the use of smart technology for commuters to travel efficiently, the author failed to discuss how the use of different modes of transport such as autonomous vehicles, trains and buses would help to improve traffic flow for Singapore road users.

To begin, the use of Autonomous vehicles (AVs) was introduced by LTA to help improve traffic flow and ensure that its citizens can travel safely on the road in Singapore. According to the magazine, Choi (2019) stated that AVs do not require much space as compared to normal vehicles. There is no need to install staircases and lifts in the carparks as the owners can returned the AVs at some locations and let the vehicles park themselves. The available space can be used for future road infrastructure developments to accommodate the increasing vehicle population. Furthermore, according to the news article, Abdullah (2016) reported that at least 90 percent of road accidents is due to human error. There is a need to introduce AVs as another mode of transport so that AVs can likely reduced the number of accidents and enhance smooth traffic for road users.

The expansion of the railway network has also helped to enhance the traffic flow for cars on the roads and improve on the accessibility for its citizens so that they would consider taking public transport instead of private transport. According to Loh (2019), he stated that LTA will be expanding the current rail network which includes “new stations and rail lines over the next 20 years”. With the extension of two new stations for the North-South Line (NSL) by the mid of 2030s, people living in those areas can save up to 30 minutes of time when travelling downtown area. Faster and more convenient MRT services would attract more people to consider taking MRT instead of their own vehicles and road users can enjoy fast travel without causing congestion on the roads.

Apart from the use of AVs and trains, bus developments such as the “North-South Corridor” are introduced so that this will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and improve traffic congestion. In its webpage, LTA (2019) stated that it will be introducing the 21.5km North-South Corridor also known as the “North-South Expressway" with dedicated bus lanes that will stretch from Woodlands to the city centre to be completed by 2026. With the dedicated bus lanes, commuters can save the travelling time to city areas by up to 30 minutes. The implementation of bus developments will help to reduce heavy traffic from the northern and central areas during peak hours.

In conclusion, Tay explained the alternatives of traffic management measures proposed by LTA. However, he did not fully mention how the use of different transportation systems can improve traffic congestion issues and enhance smooth traffic for its citizens. LTA has introduced public transport developments such as the use of AVs and improvements made to trains and buses which allows commuters to travel efficiently with public transport instead of taking private transport.

References

Abdullah, Z (2016, December 13). Driverless vehicles could change laws, insurance policies. Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/driverless-vehicles-could-change-laws-insurance-policies

Choi, C, Q (2019). How self-driving cars might transform city parking. Ieee Spectrum. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/autonomous-parking

Land Transport Authority. (2019, May 25). Land Transport Master Plan 2040: bring Singapore Together. Retrieved 30 September, 2019, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=de83f659-4b0d-4609-840e-3deb3ac9b4b9

Loh, J (2019, May 27). LTA just unveiled plans for more MRT stations and a possible new rail line that could cut 40 minutes of travel time to the city. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/lta-just-unveiled-plans-for-more-mrt-stations-and-a-possible-new-rail-line-that-could-cut-40-minutes-of-travel-time-to-the-city/

Tay, Q, W (2019, July 13). Tapping tech for smoother traffic. Urban Solution, Issue 13. Retrieved 28 September,2019, from https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-solutions/urb-sol-iss-13 pdfs/11_case_study-singapore-intelligent-transport-systems.pdf

 *Edited on 1/12/19