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Electronic Road Pricing

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ERP gantry at North Bridge Road

The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP, Simplified Chinese: 电子道路收费系统) scheme is an electronic toll collection scheme adopted in Singapore to manage traffic by road pricing, and as a usage-based taxation mechanism to complement the purchase-based Certificate of Entitlement system. Implemented by the Land Transport Authority in September 1998 to replace the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, it was the first city in the world to implement electronic toll collection.

The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP, Chinese: 電子道路收費系統) is also an electronic toll collection scheme first proposed in the 1980s in Hong Kong, which has not be implemented owing to public opposition.

Singapore

Overview

The scheme consists of ERP gantries located at all entrances to Singapore's central business district - areas within the Central Area such as the Downtown Core. They may also be located along roads with heavy traffic to discourage usage during peak hours. When a car equipped with an in-vehicle unit (IU) passes under a gantry, a toll is deducted from a stored-value card (known as a CashCard) placed in the IU, depending on the time and location (varying from S$0.25 to S$3.00 for passenger cars). No toll is imposed during off-peak hours.

Installation of IUs in all Singaporean cars is mandatory. Non-Singaporean cars entering Singapore must either rent an IU or pay a daily flat fee.

Impact

The ERP system, although understandably unpopular among most road users, has helped to tweak road usage patterns since its implementation. The LTA reported that road traffic decreased by nearly 25,000 vehicles during peak hours, with average road speeds increasing by about 20%. Within the restricted zone itself, traffic has gone down by about 13% during ERP operational hours, with vehicle numbers dropping from 270,000 to 235,000. It has been observed that car-pooling has increased, while the hours of peak vehicular traffic has also gradually eased and spread into off-peak hours, suggesting a more productive use of road space. In addition, it has been noted that average road speeds for expressways and major roads remained the same, despite rising traffic volumes over the years.

The system has its share of problems. Road users pointed out that the implementation of an ERP gantry along any road simply moves the traffic somewhere else, potentially causing traffic bottlenecks along smaller roads. For example, the ERP gantry along the Central Expressway (CTE) has been said to have caused traffic to increase substantially in north-south trunk roads, such as along the Thomson Road and Serangoon Road corridors. The rising traffic prompted the LTA to add a gantry along Thomson Road, while Upper Serangoon Road's capacity was increased somewhat with the building of a new viaduct. Similarly, the ERP gantry on the East Coast Parkway's west-bound carriageway was said to have led to increased traffic on Geylang Road and Nicoll Highway, where ERP gantries were also placed subsequently. This "chasing after the jam" phenomena has led the general public to question its effectiveness.

While ERP gantries on major roads and expressways have usually been implemented on the carriageway which is city-bound, major traffic congestion on the north-bound carriageway of the CTE has led to the LTA considering its implementation there, a suggestion which has been met with protests by motorists who questioned the need to pay for the time they take to go home. The LTA, sensing the displeasure, attempted to alleviate the situation by widening the road between the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) and Braddell Road in 2003, in response to public feedback which frequently attributed the jams to this congested stretch. In addition, the LTA expressed hopes that the completion of the North East MRT Line will help provide an alternative form of transport for north-eastern residents, who usually use the CTE to reach the city. The pending completion of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway in 2008 has also been cited as a solution to the almost nightly jams. There was also suggestions for the CTE to be further widened, including the construction of a viaduct, which the LTA rejected citing its infeasibility. When the jams continued to persist, the LTA finally made the annoucement on 30 May 2005 that a new ERP gantry will be setup on the northbound stretch between the PIE and Braddell Road from 1 August 2005.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong first conducted a pilot test on the Electronic Road Pricing system in 1983 to 1985 with positive results. The study also included a simulation of the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme-based 12-hour manual toll collecting system, itself also a world pioneering effort in road pricing since 1975. However, public opposition against the move stalled its implementation. New studies conducted in the 1990s and the opposition towards further reclamation of the Victoria Harbour recently has led to advocates of the ERP as a possible alternative for road management. Thomas Chow, Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, noted, however, that the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, to be built on the reclaimed land, is still needed because the ERP works best if an alternative road system is available, citing the Singapore and London experiences whereby the systems were only implemented after bypasses were available.

Similar systems in other metropolitan areas

Despite the above, the system was to attract the attention of transport planners and managers in other metropolitan areas, particularly those in Europe and the United States. For example, the London Congestion Charge was introduced in 17 February 2003, after London officials visited Singapore to study the ERP system, and used it as a reference for the London system. This was mentioned half in jest by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, when he credited Singapore's ERP system while addressing the issue of traffic management for London's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics during the 117th IOC Session, which was then held in Singapore.

See also

External link

Singapore

Hong Kong

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