By Gracia Chiang

Sales manager Seah Poh Siang is not waking up earlier to try to save a dollar.

Tomorrow, a new Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry on the west-bound Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) becomes operational. The gantry before Eunos Link will charge $2 between 7am and 7.30am, and $1 from 7.30am to 8am.

While no one likes to incur more costs, many motorists said they are unable to alter travel plans to avoid payment.

Mr Seah, 46, for instance, is used to leaving his Tampines home at 7.30am and paying only 50 cents at the Kallang Bahru gantry to get to his Jurong East workplace. He does not intend to start his journey earlier to avoid paying $1 by the time he drives past the Eunos gantry.

"I will have to wake up at 6am to leave my house before 6.40am. It will be crazy," he said, adding that it is also pointless to arrive at work way before his clients do.

The Eunos gantry will be the second to begin operations at 7am. The other one is at the Central Expressway (CTE) between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Braddell Road.

Such early start times have made drivers like engineer Seow Joo Heng, 42, feel that their efforts to get on the road earlier - and not contribute to peak-hour traffic from 8am to 9am - are not appreciated. "Being on the road at 7am is admirable, considering the amount of family time motorists have sacrificed," he said.

Other motorists felt they were being unfairly penalised along with those who used the PIE to make short trips from Simei to Paya Lebar. "How can you just put one net that catches all the fish? Some are innocent," said service manager Gregory Quek, 41.

He suggested that the new gantry should be sited at the Paya Lebar exit.

In response, a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesman said that the gantry is not meant to specifically discourage those travelling from Simei to Paya Lebar.

"Any motorist who uses that stretch of the west-bound PIE will contribute to congestion and hence should pay the ERP charge."

The LTA noted traffic speeds were deteriorating, falling below 45kmh between 7am and 8am.

Motorists said they will have to live with the new charges.

Starting their journey later would pose other headaches because the Kallang Bahru gantry charges $1 after 8am and $1.50 between 8.30am and 8.55am.

Taking other routes such as East Coast Parkway would mean a longer ride and higher petrol bill. ERP charges also apply.

Said undergraduate Marcus Lim, 24, who commutes from Bedok to Boon Lay: "Probably the only thing I can do is to plan my timetable to make sure my lessons start as late as possible next semester."

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Nov 2, 2008.

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