Driving

Forum: Consider higher speed limit on expressways

Marina Coastal Expressway near the Central Boulevard exit, on Jan 6, 2014.
Marina Coastal Expressway near the Central Boulevard exit, on Jan 6, 2014. PHOTO: ST FILE

I wish to add my thoughts on the driving experience in Singapore (Speeding and road bullies unchecked in expressway tunnels, Jan 18; and Road network: Ideas to improve driving experience, Jan 20).

I have also encountered speeding bullies, but I believe that these motorists must have a valid reason for speeding, such as an emergency, and are thus willing to risk getting caught for speeding. Giving way to a faster car on the rightmost lane is a form of road courtesy, just as we do for emergency vehicles.

I often see motorists overtaking on the rightmost lane of expressways slowly. Some of them do not check for oncoming cars and continue to overtake slowly, thus forcing the oncoming car to brake suddenly, which leads to the driver flashing the headlights.

Some motorists on the rightmost lane travel below the speed limit, causing a long line of cars to form behind.

Another issue is vans, trucks and buses travelling on the second lane instead of the leftmost lane. These force cars to overtake on the rightmost lane.

As for improving the driving experience, there is the issue of traffic lights at crossings which turn red when there are no pedestrians crossing. This may be due to some pre-set timing.

Most of these are around schools, but when schools are not in session, the red lights still operate the same way and vehicles have to stop even though there are no pedestrians.

Finally, a main obstacle to the driving experience here is the speed limit. Currently, we have three different speed limits on our expressways - 70kmh, 80kmh and 90kmh.

I suggest that the Land Transport Authority raise the speed limit on expressways to 110kmh. This is similar to the expressway speed limit in many other countries, some of which have more vehicles that are older than those in Singapore, and roads that are not as well maintained as ours.

A higher speed limit would also increase the traffic flow, reduce travelling time and improve productivity.

Yeo Thye Lye

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 25, 2021, with the headline Forum: Consider higher speed limit on expressways. Subscribe