Sustainable Cities and Transport

Singapore has just hosted the World Cities Summit. It would have been a wonderful opportunity to showcase our previously lauded world class transport system, except that it had lost is lustre in recent years due to inadequate new infrastructure to meet the large increase in population.

Like many other large cities, Singapore roads are congested with private cars and other types of traffic. We also face inadequate parking space for the private cars at the homes and workplaces. Instead of building more roads, commuter lines and parking lots, we have to find innovative ways to deal with the universal challenge of moving people to work and back home.

I suggest that new towns be developed as a large car free zone. Commuting within the town should be by public transport in the form of feeder buses, taxis, shared cars and shared bicycles. The local transport will move the people to the train station, bus interchange, town center or the fringe car parks. Private cars can be used from the fringe car parks to travel on the highways to other parts of the city that are still dependent on private transport.

The new towns should be planned with the aim of encouraging people to live, work and study in the same town and avoid the need to commute long distances. The cost of buying and selling properties should be reduced, e.g. by removing the stamp duty, to encourage people to move to a new home that is close to their place of work.

This will lead to sustainable cities and a better quality of life. Perhaps when Singapore hosts the World Cities Summit again in the future, we will have a good showcase.
 
Tan Kin Lian