Learn from Singapore to improve public transport

-
https://media-mat-cdn.mclaren.com/media/images/articles/hero/INLINE_IMAGE.jpg
Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California have recently unveiled the Urban Mobility Readiness Index that ranked cities with the best public transport system. Singapore came up on top.[1]

Separately, McKinsey & Company had also produced their own index last year to measure the best public transport system in the world. Singapore also appeared at the top.[2]

There must be something right about the city-state’s public transport that we can learn from.

The first thing to notice about Singapore’s public transport is that it is multi-modal, which means the entire infrastructure adopts several modes or types of public transport such as bus, mass rapid transit (MRT), light rail transit (LRT), and monorail.

In the late 1970s, Singapore was deliberating between having an all-bus system or a bus-rail system. Despite having a team of experts from Harvard University pushing for the all-bus system, the government opted for the more expensive bus-rail system and begun the construction of their first MRT.[3]

After the launch of the MRT in 1987, the Singaporean government studied the bus-rail system for nine years and concluded in their Land Transport Authority's 1996 White Paper that, “Only rail transport can meet the transport needs of heavy demand corridors while maintaining high travel speeds and predictability of arrival and departure times... [Cities] have opted for rail even though it is a more expensive option than the bus.”

In other words, multi-modal system may be more expensive but it provides targeted solutions that correspond to the various needs of urban mobility. For instance, a rail infrastructure (MRT or LRT) is more effective at high-demand corridor while buses work better in neighbourhood with short-distance stops. A good public transport infrastructure has various modes to complement each other to deliver the best result.

This is one reason why cities with mono-modal system such as Curitiba – even though famous for its bus rapid transit (BRT) – does not rise to the top. One size simply does not fit all.

It is high time for Malaysian cities to adopt the multi-modal principle to improve our public transport.

Comprehensive strategies like the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) – comprising LRT, monorail, tram, BRT and other transport modes – is an instructive model of how public transport infrastructure should be planned locally. 

References

[1] https://www.oliverwymanforum.com/mobility/urban-mobility-readiness-index.html#

[2]https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Sustainability/Our%20Insights/Elements%20of%20success%20Urban%20transportation%20systems%20of%2024%20global%20cities/Urban-transportation-systems_e-versions.ashx

[3] https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-systems-studies/uss-transport.pdf

Popular posts from this blog

BRT expert sweet-talking Penang to install bus system?

-
Image
It was reported that Yoga Adiwinarto, country director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) in Jakarta had recommended the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for Penang in a presentation organised by Think City yesterday. The ITDP specialises in BRT and their institutional mission is to promote the bus system around the world in that their “specific area of expertise is the bus rapid transit (BRT) and we work to spread knowledge about BRT and provide high-level technical assistance to cities pursuing BRT projects in the US and abroad.” Urban planning expert, Diego Silva Ardila has observed that think-tanks like ITDP “have focused on BRT systems as the only plausible solution for urban transport in the developing world, and have not seriously and rigorously analysed the possibilities that rail-based systems have [...]” Ardila further noted that “the think-tanks and their claims have been deemed biased by the fact that they represented the interests of
Read more

Jobs don't drop from the sky #7

-
Image
Our youth unemployment rate has been rising every year in the past 5 years, from 11% in 2016 to 11.72% last year. Are jobs being produced as fast as our youths grow up? Without jobs, what's our youths' future? Without jobs, how to start a family? Without jobs, how to care for aging parents? These are the questions that Hafiz discussed with me. Hafiz is a graduate with a degree in finance. Most of his cohorts have left Penang to work in KL. "Kawan-kawan struggle cari kerja di Penang, dan memang banyak yang pi KL," he said. Although Hafiz wanted to join them, he as the eldest among his siblings had stay back to care for the family. Unable to get a suitable permanent job, Hafiz ended up as a contract worker for several years. When the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) had job openings, Hafiz applied and got his first stable permanent job. After working for 10 months, Hafiz has saved enough to get married. He and his wife are expecting their first child now. Just before Raya
Read more

Jobs don't drop from the sky #5

-
Image
I will continue to write about real Penangites whose life has been changed for the better because of Penang South Reclamation (PSR). These Penangites are not big-name politicians, their story seldom gets highlighted. Nonetheless, they are Penangites who can now earn a decent living for their family due to the project. Therefore, I think their story deserved to be told. Pak Idris and his grandson, Adam are such Penangites. Idris, 66 years old, has worked as a fisherman for over five decades. Adam, now 23, had been helping his grandpa since his teens. Adam shared about an incident when he was 18 years old working in the sea with his grandpa. That day they met with a thunderstorm. Huge waves were hitting their boat. Idris used all his strength to steer the boat to safety, against the strong currents until the vessel almost broke into two. “Tok perlu lawan sampai bot terangkat tinggi, hampir patah dua." Adam said. “Masa tu, kalau hanyut di laut, pun hanyut lah,” Idris added. Fortunate
Read more