AS WE progress into the new year and inflationary pressures ease, road tax has become more "pricey". Why do I say this when it has been projected to decline in absolute terms?
The decline in road tax was meant to offset higher Electronic Road Pricing charges. I fully support present efforts to move towards the greater use of public transport, but my marginal utility from road usage every morning has dropped by at least a third as bus lanes are drawn up overnight. Drivers, in the name of public transport efficiency, have to put up with fewer than two clear lanes during peak-hour traffic. It is worse when there is a traffic accident.
Here is my two cents' worth on how the situation can be improved:
Since the extreme left lane is designated as a bus lane, allow private buses, school buses and heavy goods vehicles to use it too. More often than not, the bus lanes are not as heavily used as the remaining lanes.
End bus lane operating hours at 7.30pm instead of 8pm (or else motorists will get home only past 9pm)
Improve the reach of trains and cut down the number of buses and therefore the need for bus lanes in time to come.
If all else fails, reduce road taxes by a third. The last thing we need in an efficient country like ours is a lane on the road used only by the occasional buses, while car owners are stuck in the other lanes, desperate to get to some destination where they are needed.
Perhaps an independent study should be carried out to measure the costs and benefits of the scheme. Instead of just using as benchmark how much the travel time has been shortened for people taking public transport, take into account also the impact of lost deals, the travel time delay for car owners in getting to their destinations, traffic conditions and reasons for people migrating to places with better living conditions. Bus lanes are for countries with large spaces like Australia, not small countries like ours.
Zann Lim (Ms)
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 5, 2009.
