The Off-Peak Car (OPC) Scheme replaced the Weekend Car Scheme on Oct 1, 1994 with the objective of allowing people, especially those earning less and those who commute during off-peak periods, to own cars without contributing to traffic congestion.
Although the objective of the OPC Scheme should remain, its policies need to be brought up to date as driving patterns have changed over the 14 years since its implementation.
As the name of the OPC Scheme suggests, cars registered under this scheme are not allowed on the road during restricted, or peak, hours without the display of a valid day licence.
The peak hours include 7am to 3pm on Saturdays, which, presumably, were deemed as peak 14 years ago, since most workers then worked half a day on Saturdays.
However, this is definitely not relevant now as many of us do not work on Saturdays. A recent survey by the Ministry of Manpower revealed that close to half of private-sector full-time employees now work a five-day week - a significant change from the situation 14 years ago.
We can also look at the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) own road-pricing policies. The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme is another effective means of minimising road congestion by charging motorists when they use the roads during peak hours.
LTA recently revised the ERP rates upwards - much to the dismay of motorists - after its review of the traffic conditions during peak hours.
Yet, a check of the latest ERP rates shows that most gantries are not in operation on Saturdays.
This goes to show that LTA sees Saturdays, including the hours from 7am to 3pm, as non-peak hours. Therefore, cars registered under the OPC Scheme should not be restricted during these hours.
Despite the sharp increase in petrol prices and ERP charges, some motorists are still hanging on to their cars for weekend family outings or for driving their kids to enrichment classes on Saturday mornings.
I believe this group, as well as potential car buyers, will be enticed to convert their cars to the OPC Scheme if LTA allows full-day usage for OPC cars on Saturdays, as the cost savings are very attractive.
This will help improve road conditions during weekday peak hours.
