Preventing traffic jams from ever occurring is a near-impossible task. To tackle vehicular congestion, the Government has employed a variety of measures, ranging from controlling the vehicle population (via the Vehicle Quota System and COE) to Electronic Road Pricing. We’re encouraged to use public transportation. Some quarters have even recommended cycling to work.
Motorists are told to carpool and exercise better judgment while driving. After all, poor driving habits cause traffic jams as well. All of these methods will help prevent or at the very least, reduce the chances for gridlock to occur.
One sensible way of solving the congestion problem is through better urban planning. Urban planning goes beyond merely controlling vehicle numbers – it also takes into account how our land is used.
For example, if all commercial activity was concentrated in one location, it would make commuting to work seem easy on paper, since everyone would pretty much be heading in one direction. But this would also create chaos from Monday to Friday.
Obviously, the better solution would be to have industries spread throughout the island, rather than concentrated in one area. This would have the effect of reducing the number of vehicles heading into one area. Also, if industries are spread out to various places around the island, there’s a better chance that people would find jobs nearer to their homes.
This in turn would lead to people cutting their commuting times considerably. Theoretically, this would in turn lead to a decongestion of current traffic hot spots.
For instance, if there were more industries in the northern part of Singapore, there would be far fewer cars on the CTE everyday. If there were more commercial developments in the eastern region of the country, the number of vehicles on the PIE and AYE would be lessened, too.
Urban planning may not only solve our traffic issues; ultimately, it may be the holistic solution to controlling Singapore’s vehicle population.
