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Can Singapore have higher car ownership and still be car-lite?

Let’s revisit the proposal in the 1990s to shift costs to usage rather than ownership.

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Lofty car prices can be counterproductive in achieving "car-liteness" as a number of studies have revealed that high car cost tends to fuel car usage, says the writer.

One can only imagine the impact current car COE prices – at well over $100,000 – is having on usage.

ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

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During Monday’s

hour-long parliamentary debate

on soaring certificate of entitlement (COE) prices, the term “car-lite” was mentioned close to 10 times. What exactly does it mean to be “car-lite”?

Simply, it means relying less on private motorised transport, and more on buses, trains and active mobility modes such as cycling and walking.

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