From June, bus services in areas affected by the new ERP pricing will arrive within 12 minutes, down from the current 15 minutes. By August next year, bus frequency will go down to 10 minutes.

Initially, thought to be a duplication of resources, the Government has decided to now allow trunk buses to ply routes parallel to the North-South and East-West Lines. This is to give commuters more choice on their mode of travel and an attractive alternative to trains.

Residents in the following areas of Katong, Holland, Bukit Timah, Choa Chu Kang, Sengkang, Tampines and Yio Chu Kang can look forward to direct connections to their work place using premium buses. Currently there are 42 premium bus services and that number will be increased to at least 72 by June.

Premium bus services costs more than regular buses but passengers are ensured a seat and few stops along the way to their workplace in the Shenton Way, Robinson Road, Suntec City and Orchard Road areas. Operators will also provide return trips in the evening on popular services.

Commuters will only have to wait about two to three minutes during the morning peak-of-peaks when commuter volume is at its highest, down from the three minutes currently. During the lunch hour period, frequency of trains will go down from the current seven minutes to about five to six minutes.

These measures coupled with the additional 93 train trips per week slated at the start of next week, should reduce crowing and give commuters a more comfortable ride, said LTA.

Greater use of technology

A new electronic signboard system will tell drivers where the nearest parking facility with lots available is. This will reduce the number of vehicles driving around looking for empty parking lots which adds to congestion in certain areas.

The Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS) will be extended to 10 major arterial roads. And more EMAS cameras will also be installed - from the current 309 now to 776 by 2013.

This will allow Authorities to detect traffic incidences better and react to them when motorists are affected. 'J-eyes' or Junction-eyes which are junction cameras will also be installed in more places. The numbers will increase from 200 to 273 by February.

A dedicated radio channel will be set up to keep motorists up to date on traffic news. Currently, some radio stations hold short traffic watch news bulletins on their stations. The LTA said they may work with existing media on this initiative.