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April 26, 2008

Reduce need to commute

MANY cities face a big challenge in handling the large number of people who have to commute to and from work. They contribute to congested roads, crowded buses and trains, and long commuting time. Singapore faces the same challenge.

Most remedial measures appear to focus on the supply side, that is, build more roads and provide more trains and buses. However, these take a long time to implement and do not seem to solve the underlying problem. Construction works aggravate the problem.

I suggest that attention be given to new measures to reduce the need to commute, such as:

Encourage businesses to locate their workplaces in satellite towns;

Encourage people to work near their home, or live near their place of work;

Reduce or waive stamp duty on property transactions, for anyone who moves to be closer to his place of work; and

Improve local transport within town.

If we can reduce the commuting demand significantly, we can make a major contribution to reducing energy consumption, travel time, travel cost and road congestion.

Tan Kin Lian