Reduce need to commute

PRINTED IN STRAIT TIMES FORUM PAGE ON 26 APRIL 2008

Many cities face a big challenge in handling the large number of people who have to commute to and from work. They contribute to congested roads, crowded buses and trains and long commuting time. Singapore faces the same challenge.

Most of the remedial measures appear to focus on the supply side, that is, build more roads and provide more trains and buses. They take a long time to implement and do not seem to solve the underlying problem The construction works aggravate the problem.

I suggest that attention should be given to new measures to reduce the need for commuting, such as:

> encourage businesses to locate their workplaces in satellite towns
> encourage people to work near their homes, or live near their place of work
> reduce or waive stamp duty on property transactions, for a person who moves to be closer to the place of work
> improve the local transport within a town

If we can reduce the commuting demand significantly, we can make a major contribution to reduce energy consumption, travel time, travel cost and road congestion.

Tan Kin Lian