SMRT

Carrefour exiting S’pore: Report

SINGAPORE

Investment banks Goldman Sachs and UBS have been hired to advise on the sale, the report said. Goldman, UBS and Carrefour declined to comment when contacted by

Carrefour, the world’s second-biggest retailer after WalMart, has exited Japan and Korea in recent years to focus on higher growth markets like India, the report added.

Carrefour chief executive Lars Olofsson said last month he was open to offers for the company’s operations in markets where it isn’t in the top two. Analysts cited Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as likely candidates.

At the end of last year, Carrefour had two hypermarkets in Singapore, 19 in Malaysia, and 39 hypermarkets and one convenience store in Thailand.  — French hypermarket operator Carrefour has begun the process of selling its businesses in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, in a move that could raise about US$1 billion ($1.39 billion), Reuters reported yesterday, citing unidentified sources with direct knowledge of the matter.Reuters.Agenci es

Although a single bicycle may not cost very much, the cumulative impact of many stolen bicycles on the commuting habits of Singaporeans could well be enormous.

Letter from Jack Chew

Shouldn’t  SMRT bus drivers be able to speak English?

Not only did he not respond to my questions, he also took the wrong turn

Letter from Satiman Saim

ON SATURDAY afternoon, I was on SMRT bus No 171, travelling along Bukit Timah Road, heading in the direction of Sixth Avenue and stuck in a traffic jam, when the bus driver made an unscheduled U-turn onto Dunearn Road.

When I asked him what the cause of congestion was and why he had made a U-turn, he did not respond as he seemed unable to understand English.

The bus driver, after consulting with another passenger in Chinese, then decided to turn right onto Farrer Road. He then made another right turn back on to Bukit Timah Road, joining the tail end of the traffic jam that we had been stuck in an hour earlier.

I rang the SMRT hotline and was told by an officer that all bus personnel should be able to communicate in English, and that the detour should have been via Farrer Road and Holland Road, away from the congestion on Bukit Timah Road.

I would like to know the following:

• Why couldn’t the bus driver respond to my enquiries in English, considering that English is the main language in Singapore?

• Why didn’t the bus driver follow the detour route set by SMRT?

• Why did the bus driver take instructions from a passenger instead of following the official route?

• Shouldn’t SMRT have a standard operating procedure in place for when a bus needs to take an alternative route?

Pressing Needs call for Bold Solutions

Long platforms, express trains to deal with crush

Letter from Kelvin Ong Kwee Beng

I REFER to “SMRT has a plan” (July 3-4).

With a current population of 4.5 million, it already seems as if our transport system is at its limit. And we are working towards a population goal of 6.5 million. Shouldn’t the transport operators be looking ahead to anticipate the solutions needed to ensure 6.5 million people can get around the island?

Perhaps SMRT could consider doubling the number of cars per train. Or they could think about extending the length of all station platforms.

In the long run, maybe they could consider building a second line to piggy-back on the existing line, just like the viaduct above Keppel Road.

Singapore might be too small for BULLET trains, but perhaps we could consider an EXPRESS train between Changi, Marina Bay, Jurong and Tuas.

Pressing needs call for bold solutions.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

DON'T  PENALiSE students, NSmen for TRANFERS

Letter from Yuen Kah Hung

DISTANCE fares were introduced to give commuters greater flexibility, choice and convenience by charging a commuter based on the total distance travelled, regardless of the number of transfers made.

But the structure and pricing of the Monthly Concession Passes for students and NSmen does nOt reflect this.

Student and National Service (fulltime) concession pass-holders are penalised for making inter-modal transfers as they have to buy a HYBRiD Concession Pass if they want to travel on both bus and train. The hybrid concession pass, which is the combined cost of both bus and train concession passes, costs $97. A bus-only concession pass costs $52, and a train-only pass $45.

Perhaps we could have an integrated concession pass for all modes of transport, but cap the total distance travelled daily. This would better reflect the principles of distance fares.

More flexible road pricing with satellites

Motorists ask if that will lead to higher charges, but transport experts say it is too early to tell

Neo Chai Chin

chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE

Questions about satellite-based road pricing are being asked in the wake of the suggestion by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) last Wednesday that it could be the congestion management tool of the future.

The continual addition of gantries is untenable in the long term, LTA explained.

But as to the bottom-line question for many motorists — would the new system entail higher charges — transport experts say it is too early to tell.

Eventual charges, should this eye in-the-sky system be adopted, will likely depend on the roads’ congestion levels and distance travelled by motorists, said Associate Professor Lee Der Horng of the National University of Singapore (NUS).

A satellite-based system will allow more flexible pricing, however. For example, drivers now pay a pre-determined amount to enter Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) zones at certain hours of the day, even if the area is jam-free.

A satellite system will allow pricing based on distance travelled and “actual congestion level”, said Assoc Prof Lee. And if road pricing is implemented island-wide, the result will be more equitable pricing where drivers pay so long as they use public roads, he said.

To spur the shift towards a pay-as-you use system, the Government could also consider removing road tax and making it part of ERP charges, suggested Assoc Prof Lee.

Currently, road tax rates are determined by factors like engine capacity and age of the vehicle. A 1,600-cc car less than 10 years old would incur $372 of road tax for six months, for instance. This may spur some drivers to maximise vehicle usage, as road tax has already been paid for, said Assoc Prof Lee.

“If we make road tax part of ERP charges, the ERP charges may be more significant and car owners may feel the pinch,” he said.

#### TRANSPORT CHARGES WiLL iNCREASE AGAiN  fOr  CAR ? BUS ? TAXi ? TRAiN ? ####

NUS transport economist Anthony Chin said real-time information on traffic speeds and road conditions provided by a satellite system could encourage change in driving behaviour. But to better manage congestion, satellite technology should be complemented with alternative transport modes and increased accessibility, said Assoc Prof Chin.

The latter could mean having more workplaces or leisure options close to Singaporeans’ homes, “making it easier for people to do what they want to do without having to travel”, he said.

In Europe, satellite-based road pricing systems have gathered pace in recent years.

Germany introduced truck-tolling on its 12,100km expressway network in 2005.

This has led to a 15-per-cent drop in empty trucks on the toll roads, according to the European GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Supervisory Authority.

Slovakia is developing a satellite system for large vehicles on some roads, and France is also considering a road charging scheme using satellite technology, according to the Authority.

If Singapore adopts the new technology, the cityscape of the future would improve without the bulky gantries — although some may argue that they have already become local landmarks, said Assoc Prof Lee.— Without the imposing gantry looming overhead, would motorists be less aware of road usage charges? Would realtime information on road congestion lead to haphazard driving as motorists attempt to avoid roads with charges imposed?

eXTEND the STATiON  PLATFORM  tO  TWiCE  its LENGTH

DOUBLE  the number of cars to 12 per TRAiN

just dO WHAT nEEds to be dOne

STOP  GiViNG  EXCUSES

nObOdy is PAiD  fOr  EXCUSES  and  iNACTiON

iF  nOt  CAPABLE, jUst  RESiGN

sO  that  CAPABLE  PEOPLE  can TAKEOVER and  CREATE  the  SOLUTION 

Fallacious and not feasible

Letter from Lim Poh Seng

I THINK SMRT’s plan for buses to “run parallel to MRT lines in a bid to alleviate overcrowding during peak periods is a good idea.

A discount could be given for those who choose to take the bus because of the increased time taken to reach their destinations.

Announcements could be given at MRT stations for commuters to take the bus as an alternative when the crowd gets bigger during peak periods.

During off-peak periods, the buses can be withdrawn, leaving only the trains to transport commuters.

If we are encouraging frequent changes of trains/buses to reach our destination, the frequencies of trains/buses should also be high.

I hope transport operators can use bigger vehicles during peak periods and smaller vehicles during off-peak periods to maintain bus/train arrival frequencies at two or three minutes.

With a flexible approach, I am sure we can satisfy the needs of commuters throughout the day.

I have no wish to see the day when we have to employ “people pushers” to increase our train capacity — or to wait seven minutes or more for my train during off-peak periods.

SMRT chief missed the point

Letter from Jake Teo

I REFER to the article “SMRT has a plan ...” (July 3).

I believe SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa has missed the point regarding her argument on passenger load metrics.

Average passenger load metrics serve as a good basis of comparison only in circumstances where all other factors remain relatively similar.

The average London commuter might occupy a different area compared to the one in Singapore and Tokyo.

An average figure does not take into account variation between passenger loads of each individual train. An average figure also does not take into account how Singapore’s population congregates in certain town centres; leaving only one stop to make the difference between an empty or congested train.

At the Jurong East interchange station, overcrowding “is a PROBLEM” due to constraints of the system’s design, said SMRT.

LTA is undertaking infrastructure works at the station, due to be completed next year. Together with 22 new trains which will be put into service progressively from next May, SMRT will then be able to add more train trips.

WHO  APPROVED  the  SMRT  SYSTEM  DESiGN ? ? ? ?

WHO  APPROVED  the  SMRT  TRAiN  DESiGN ? ? ? ?

WHO  DESiGN  the SMRT SYSTEM BLUE PRiNT ? ? ? ?

WHO  DESiGN  the  SMRT  TRAiN CARS ? ? ? ?

They  ALL NEVER TRAVEL by MRT TRAiNS.

One  vEry  SiMPLE cOmmOmsence is tOtally OverlOOked