October 24, 2017

Singapore Will Stop Increasing Car Numbers From February 2018

Singapore, among the world’s most expensive places to own a vehicle, will stop increasing the total number of cars on its roads next year.

The government will cut the annual growth rate for cars and motorcycles to zero from 0.25 percent starting in February, the transport regulator said on Monday.

“In view of land constraints and competing needs, there is limited scope for further expansion of the road network," the Land Transport Authority said in a statement on its website. Roads already account for 12 percent of the city-state’s total land area, it said.

Smaller than New York City, land in Singapore is a precious commodity and officials want to ensure the most productive use of the remaining space. Its infrastructure is among the world’s most efficient and the government is investing S$28 billion ($21 billion) more on rail and bus transportation over the next five years, the regulator said.

Singapore requires car owners to buy permits -- called Certificates of Entitlement -- that allow holders to own their vehicles for 10 years. These permits are limited in supply and auctioned monthly by the government. At the most recent offering last week, the permit cost S$41,617 for the smallest vehicles.

Read more at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-23/singapore-to-stop-adding-cars-on-its-roads-from-february-2018

My take... good idea. Indian govt should consider some version of this for metros in India. No point building more flyovers and adding more cars at some time. In Mumbai, more flyovers have not decreased the travel time unless it is on Sunday. The govt can improve public transport and fewer cars on roads will mean faster commute time.

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