6/18/2008

Gantries and more gantries

Motorists will be the happiest people in paradise. Driving around will be a breeze, or at least around town comes 7 Jul. 5 more ERP gantries will go up and 32 more will up their toll fees. Or like they said, 'Have money will travel.' Just pay your way and all the way. It is great to be toll operators. It is only logical that the central business district be restricted to people who have a reason to be there. No more jalan jalan or makan angin in CBD for free. It is another form of Disneyland for the banking and finance people. In fact all other offices that are not related to these industries should not be there. They only add to the congestion and high demand for office space. Yes, have another set of regulations to keep non related industries from locating in the business districts. Set up a list of criteria to fulfil, something like mean testing. If don't qualify, no business to be there, shift out. We need to put people in their proper places.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will say toll operators are the happiest people in paradise, not motorists.

Oh no, they are not going to restrict industries from setting up offices in the CBD because that could prevent office rentals from going up further due to drop in demand and therefore hurt their own pockets. After all they are the biggest landowner in Singapore. Why kill the goose that lay the golden eggs? Congestion in the CBD gives them revenue in all sorts of ways - high rental collection, high ERP rates and soon high car park charges. Isn't that the whole game plan all along? Silly us!

Anonymous said...

Looks like Raymond Lim is going all out to raise the hundreds of millions needed for a new LTA HQ. LSL refused to give the previous transport minister (lower case is deliberate), Lim Hng Kiang, the $500M he wanted so maybe Mr Yellow Pages is trying to raise the funds internally.

Benedict said...

We Singaporeans are already barely coping with inflation. There's no wage rise. Even if there was, the STs has already published the fact that inflation has eroded any gains in th wage rise.

May I be so blunt as to ask why the government is doing this?

Are they so high above in their skyscraper office that they don't know the pinch that we ordinary Singaporeans are feeling?

Do they so blatantly assume that just because Singaporeans have cars, we're well-to-do? We have money to burn?

It's almost proven that ERPs does not work.

The government can easily implement a system to reduce car usage. I have an alternative policy here.. much better than the pocket wrenching ERP. The government can allow cars with even and odd numbered registration plates to hit the road on alternate days. Certain rich people may not like this system, but they are negligible.. after all, some of them can afford two cars... haha.. But if this system is implemented, it'll mean lots of work for the public transport system, so it has to be improved as a prelude to this policy.. There are of course, many other alternative policies.. this one here is just one.

ERP.. ERP.. ERP..

Singapore Singapore Singapore...