Guideline questions for presentation group

What does it mean by urban sustainability? Why do we need to ensure a sustainable society? To what extend does a sustainable and effective transport system contribute to a sustainable society? What's the current situation about Singapore's local transport system( Pros and cons)? What needs to be done to further boost the efficiency of local transport system to ensure a more sustainable society?

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.

Is it a cost-effective way to save land by building highways?

Cost will be inevitably incurred when a highway is built. Saving land I part of strategic development of a country. Hence, the benefits brought by the highway outweighs the cost. However, it must be noted that building highway is not necessarily effective in land saving because the main function is to diversify transport to solve problems such as congestion. Land saving is this thus only a side effect and not very effectively achieved through building highway.

Is it worth it to demolish Bukit Brown for a new highway?

Estimated to house 100,000 tombs in a vast landsize of about 0.86 square kilometers, Bukit Brown Cemetery has been abandoned since its closure in 1973. It was opened in 1922 by the Municipal Council (Municipal Council oversaw the supplies of water, electricity, gas, maintenance of roads, lighting and other administrative things in Singapore before 1965). Although abandoned as a cemetry, people all over Singapore still continue to walk through the entrance of Bukit Brown. Urban Sketchers can be found with pens in their hands, etching every detail of the tombs on to their sketch books. Bird watchers troop in early just to spot the many birds who rest in the cemetry. Almost one-quarter of the bird species in Singapore rest and nest here. These include the Great Racket-tailed Drongo, the Banded Woodpecker, the Long-tailed Parakeet, the Red-crowned Barbet, the Lanced Woodpecker, the Changeable Hawk Eagle, Nightjars, and the usual Myna, Pink-necked Pigeon, Starling, Swiftlet. Bukit Brown, is teeming with life. But, everything is going to be demolished for a new highway. Bukit Brown teaches anyone who enters living history. Learn the language of the tombs and understanding the lives of our pioneers becomes an easy task. Take a walk through the windy dirt paths and discover the rich diversity of life in the foliage. Imagine the greenery being replaced by a highway, countless of cars driving past it, adding even more pollutants into the air.Is a highway worth demolishing a living history textbook? A textbook thatmanages to capture the attention of any visitor.

What is the most popular type of transport in Singapore?

Bus is the most popular mode of transport in Singapore due to its convenience and extensiveness. Bus transport is one of the cheapest modes of transport in Singapore. There is a high density of bus stops in Singapore making bus travel convenient. Furthermore, buses cover a comprehensive network of bus routes. It is also comfortable to travel in buses. Most of the buses are equipped with cushioned seats and air conditioning. Night service is also available, making bus services available almost all day round. There are also several bus services which run parallel to MRT lines, giving consumers a choice on their mode of transportion. Also, buses are sometimes faster as they travel by expressways, making the travel distance shorter.

Is mrt sustainable?

http://www.uncrd.or.jp/env/4th-regional-est-forum/Presentations/18_BS5_Singapore.pdf All SMRT trains run on electricity and generate zero air polluting emissions. Regenerative braking technology converts kinetic energy to electricity, which powers other trains and stations. Travelling on our train network is more energy efficient and lowers your carbon footprint to 13.2g per passenger-kilometre. Singapore’s MRT network was built after a ten-year debate between consulting teams representing the pro-MRT and the pro-bus ideas, with a main focus on the cost-benefit associated with the proposed MRT (Richmond 2008). A decision was made by the government to launch the rail based MRT in 1982. This system was consequently built and put in operation in 1987. At the present, it has three lines in operation and the fourth line in construction The public transport network and the road system are designed in an integrated way with land use through careful coordination in physical planning, with macro level coordination between Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines and new towns, and micro level integration around MRT stations . physical networks of public transit are integrated using a hub-and-spoke structure. The hubs or town centres are linked by the MRT, while Light Rapid Transit (LRT) and buses connect the housing estates to the MRT stations.

How to improve the efficiency of mrt?

One suggestion I would like to bring up is that there ought to be more new bus services which goes from one MRT station to another MRT station which is of another different line, say from the North-South Line to North-East Line or to the Circle Line. So that this would give we the commuters another new alternative to think about how to change to another MRT line without taking all the way to a particular MRT interchange station as this particular interchange may seem too crowded to many or it may take too long to reach this particular MRT interchange.
maybe we can have a express line with only max 5 stop to build just next to MRT like eg: West will start from Boonlay ---> Queenstown ------> Tanjong Pagar ----- > Bedok ------>Pasir Ris (End east), this will shorten the route for those traveling far distance.