HIGHER electronic road pricing (ERP) rates kicked in yesterday.

If you enter the Central Expressway via the Pan-Island Expressway between 8.30am and 9am, it will cost $5, the highest rate.

But that's just one factor making it more expensive for motorists to operate their cars now. Other factors include higher petrol prices and parking rates.

Motorists The New Paper spoke to say that while it is much cheaper now to own a car, car operating costs have gone up sharply.

Most noticeable, they say, has been the jump in petrol prices.

A 27-year-old civil servant, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, said a full tank of petrol for his 1.6-litre European car used to cost about $70 when he bought it two years ago.

He now pays about $85 for a full tank.

"It's not within my control - I guess I just need to minimise the number of times I drive a week now," he said.

Another motorist, Mr Nicky Neo, 28, a project coordinator, said he now pays about $70 for a full tank of 95-octane petrol for his 1.5-litre Mitsubishi Lancer.

He said: "Two years ago, it was less than $50 for a full tank."

The increases in ERP rates have also forced motorists to change their driving habits to avoid incurring high costs. Mr Tan, who works near Funan Centre, said he now makes an effort sometimes to go to work earlier to avoid the higher ERP rates.

Depending on whether he can make it in time, he incurs between $1 and $4 on weekdays in ERP charges.

"My biggest bugbear is not the increase in ERP rates, but that the congestion in the mornings hasn't eased much," Mr Tan said.

Mr Neo added that increases in season parking rates were also substantial. "Just two years ago, it cost about $70 for (covered HDB) season parking," he said.

Now, he pays about $90 a month for that.

Mr Neo said there isn't much he can do to avoid incurring the higher costs associated with car ownership, so he decided to go without a car on weekdays altogether.

He rides his motorcycle to and fro from work, and only drives his car on weekends. He said: "I save much more this way, on both petrol and ERP charges."

But on top of all these rate increases, motorists may soon have to contend with higher car insurance rates too.

Rates could increase between 5 and 10 per cent.

The Straits Times reported in August that higher premiums are almost certain, after the motor sector suffered losses in two consecutive quarters.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

On the increasing operating costs of cars, car enthusiast and former president of the Singapore Automobile Association Gerard Ee said the increased cost of operating cars and falling cost of car ownership indicated a shift in traffic management strategy.

He said: "Car ownership doesn't cause congestion - it's car usage that causes it.

"It's better to employ a usage-based method of controlling traffic congestion, than an ownership-based method."

Recalling the sky-high costs of owning a car in the past, Mr Ee said: "The COE for a 2-litre car used to be as much as $100,000 without a car. Now, you can own a car for just $50,000."

He added that a usage-based method of managing traffic congestion is more efficient, because it gives motorists flexibility in managing how much they spend on car operating costs.

"The beauty of this method is that it allows an individual to fulfil his aspiration of owning a car, yet control its operating cost," he said.