Thursday 17 May 2012

How to reduce traffic congestion in Singapore?

Driving to work is what economists call a negative externality: an action taken by one person that affects the well-being of another To discourage people from driving, the government can to make commuting more expensive to better reflect its true cost.  In thgovernment often does not intervene in the market, maybe because individuality rules. As expected there are huge rush-hour backups in cities like New York and Los Angeles.  On the other hand, in Singapore, given its small size, urban planning is viewed as essential and has allowed the implementation of two programs designed to reduce traffic congestion, Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) and the Vehicle Quota System. About ERP: The ERP is an electronic system that charges drivers when they use certain roads at certain times of day The average commuting time in Singapore is 33.6 minutes. What drivers can do?: 1. Frequent change of lanes increases congestion. Drivers can try to remain in the same lane even when they are in hurry because change of lane actually make the speed of traffic flow slower.  What government can do to tackle the problem? The solution to this problem is clearly enforcement of the law. When police see a vehicle change lanes with no indicator, they need to at a minimum take the license plate number and issue a ticket. When a driver failes to give way when changing lanes, the same penalty should be applied. We have cameras all around Singapore catching people speeding and driving in bus lanes illegally (with some pretty tough fines resulting) - perhaps these same methods could be employed on the expressways.

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