Term 3 Free Choice- Is ERP justifiable?

Reference
Title of Article: Higher ERP rates and new gantries from July 7
Author: Maria Almenoar
Title of Newspaper: The Straits Times
Date: 18 June 2008

Personal Response
These few weeks have seen many Singaporeans complaining about the increasing Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges and rising number of gantries being installed. We see this unhappiness present itself all around us, whether it is on the road, in the news or even in movies, surely this is something which the government would have to consider seriously, and from many angles.

From the people’s perspective, many find the government unreasonable for increasing ERP charges when the cost of living is rising at such a fast rate. The price of fuel has already skyrocketed in the past few months, together with the prices for daily necessities such as rice and oil, putting further strain on Singaporeans’ pockets. This is especially so for a group of people- taxi drivers. Cabbies have expressed their concern that higher ERP rates would lower demand for taxis since ERP charges are added into the taxi fares for passengers, and reduce their earnings.

However, the government argues that ERP aids businesses, particularly those in the Central Business District (CBD). This is because the ERP discourages those who use the city area only as a thoroughfare from doing so, while retaining the ‘genuine shoppers’. Average car speeds recorded have also returned to the optimum speed, between 20 and 30 km/h, making traffic flow smoother and enhancing the shopping experience, resulting in more ‘genuine shoppers’ to flock there, hence increasing sales.

Nevertheless, not all shops are enjoying such fortune. There are also some who experience drop in numbers of shoppers. Shoppers simply do not want to pay for the extra charges. Furthermore, ERP gantries are activated just at the time when shops have the most customers, that is, during the peak hours, resulting in larger implications for shop owners. Riverwalk Tandoor restaurant, for one, saw a 20 per cent drop in customers between 6pm and 8pm, after the ERP gantry became operational.

Then again, looking at it environmentally, I think that ERP seems to be justifiable since it reduces both the ownership and usage of vehicles, thereby cutting on carbon
emissions, energy consumption and noise and air pollution. Furthermore, with traffic congestion, the ‘stop-and-go’ situation is likely to occur frequently, revving up the engine without moving far and stopping again, causing more fuel to be wasted. Wouldn’t you want Singapore to remain clean and green as it is now?

On the other hand, we will also have to consider this from the social aspect, looking at the implications ERP can have on families. Firstly, the goal of ERP is to encourage commuters to travel on public transport instead, but during the evening rush hours when people are making their way home, they face congestion problems on buses and trains as well. While secondly, there are also some who decide to work till later in order to avoid the ERP charges or the congestion on public transport. In any case, most people will not be able to reach home in good time and composure to enjoy quality time with their family.

This issue of ERP is a controversial one, with a variety of consequences in many aspects, in different ways. It is highly unlikely that an all-encompassing solution can be found, but ultimately, the aim of ERP is still to help Singapore and Singaporeans.

(540 words)