Taxi adding to congestion

Taxis adding to congestion

TO ADDRESS Singapore's congestion problem, it has to be attractive for those from higher-income households to switch to public transport.

They comprise the bulk of car owners, and getting them to drive less will certainly improve the situation.

My colleagues in Japan, Britain and the United States may own multiple cheap cars but do not drive to their cities. Instead, they take buses or trains - but not taxis.

In advanced countries, taxis are considered an expensive mode of transport. Our Government once likened them to chauffeur-driven private cars. There was even a proposal to have taxis here based in depots and deployed only when calls were received.

That proposal seems to have fizzled out.

Now, corporations derive income from taxi rentals and let drivers devise their own means of making money.

Cruising taxis are major contributors to congestion.

Having worked in companies that sold taxis, I learnt that the average taxi has six times the annual mileage of a private car.

This means that the 28,000 taxis here cause as much congestion as at least 130,000 more cars.

To make public transport more accepted, the connection of the last 500m to the commuter's final destination has to be improved.

There have to be covered walkways or adequate bicycle lanes and secure parking bays.

Only with a totally integrated approach to transport can we rightfully claim that Singapore is a well-connected city.

Lee Chiu San

source: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/taxis-adding-congestion-20130923