What needs to be done to ensure that Singapore's land transport system meets the needs of this and future generations?

OBVIOUSLY, as a country becomes more affluent, its citizens will aspire to own cars. Singapore is no exception. In addition, Singapore's hot tropical climate deters some people from taking public transport. Hence, Singapore's land transport strategy has to take all these factors into account and at the same time not overly increase the car population such that we have chronic traffic jams on our roads.

While our land transport system must have an on-going plan to continuously improve the existing road network around the island, there are only so many roads we can build on our small island. The longer-term strategy is to further enhance our public transport systems by making them even more convenient and efficient for commuters, for example by increasing train frequency and low tolerance for breakdowns. There should also be more direct link-ups from MRT stations to buildings so that commuters do not have to brave the elements.

Besides physical improvements, I think that there should be some restructuring of the transport companies in Singapore. Although there are two major transport groups, they are not in real competition with each other as they don't compete directly on routes. To improve efficiency, there should just be one company managing all the rail systems and another company running the buses and taxis. In this way, they can each focus on their own area of expertise and as a result, the public transport authority and the public can better assess and measure their performance.

- Wee Piew
CEO, HG Metal Manufacturing Ltd