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THE Government's policy of increasing ERP charges to reduce congestion is not a very good solution. Judging by the number of times the charges have been raised over the past months, this disincentive is not working.
People who work within the CBD will have to pay, regardless of the cost. The powers that be are in fact penalising citizens for having to go to work.
The existing charges are already high enough to discourage casual motorists from driving into the area for no good reason. If the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of cars going into the CBD, a better solution is to encourage car-pooling.
I suggest that a separate lane at the gantry be set up to deduct a reduced amount (say, 50 per cent of the normal charge). Cars with two or more occupants can then drive through this lane to save cost.
With modern technology, I am sure there would be a way, either through the use of cameras or sensors, to detect the number of occupants in a car going through.
To prevent abuse, a heavy penalty could be imposed on those who try to cheat the system.
Fong Hoe Beng
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