Follow
STATES CHRONICLE – Singapore decided to resort to new stringent rules as of 2018 to cut back on traffic jams. The small city-state has been having issues with over-congestion for a long time now. The new regulations will make it harder for citizens to purchase additional vehicles.
The 2018 Stringent Rules Will Allow 0% Indulgence on New Cars
The Land Transport Authority in Singapore announced the implementation of strict legislation. The state will no longer indulge locals’ need for personal vehicles. Instead, the vehicle growth rate will plummet from 0.25% per year to 0%. However, truck and bus purchases won’t be subject to this ban.
This decision will take effect in 2018. Authorities will review the effects of this plan in 2020. This is when the freeze on car numbers might be lifted.
On the other hand, the government will be busy revamping the public transport infrastructure for Singapore. Officials allocated a budget of $21 billion over the next five years to improve rail and bus platforms.
At the moment, the city-state harbors a modern transit system. However, based on recent major breakdowns, the government decided that more upgrades are necessary to cope with the large requirement for transportation means.
The city of Singapore covers only a territory of 277 square miles. However, 12% of this area consists of roads. In 2016, authorities counted more than 600,000 active vehicles. The limited space mixed with a high number of car owners has only put more pressure on the urban quality of life.
Singapore Will Have a 31-Mile Cross Island MRT Line by 2030
Singapore has a population of 5.56 billion and the number is only going upwards. The city can control the influx of additional cars through a bidding process and an annual growth limit. Therefore, authorities are always aware of the total number of vehicles that use the city-state’s roads. Due to these conditions, the price tag for new cars can be four times bigger than in the United States.
While the following stringent rules will ban any car acquisition for the following two years, Singapore turns to public transit as a solution to its transport problem. Besides new or upgraded train lines and railway infrastructure, there are works on a 31-mile Cross Island MRT line in progress. The project will be completed in 2030 and will support 600,000 rides on a daily basis.
Image source: 1
