ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING (Orchard Road and Central Expressway)

Column No : 1794

ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING:

(Orchard Road and Central Expressway): 8.

Mr Ong Kian Min asked the Minister for Transport whether he will consider adjusting the operating hours of the Electronic Road Pricing gantries located near Handy Road and after the YMCA International House, which demarcate the Orchard Road area from the rest of the Central Business District (CBD), so that motorists will not be charged when travelling from the Orchard Road area to the rest of the CBD and vice versa.

9.

Mr Ong Kian Min asked the Minister for Transport whether evening peak period northbound traffic along the Central Expressway (CTE) and other trunk roads has improved following the implementation of evening Electronic Road Pricing along the northbound CTE and, if so, whether he can provide some measurement of the improvement.

The Minister of State for Transport (Mrs Lim Hwee Hua) (for the Minister for Transport): Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos. 8 and 9 together as they both deal with the use of ERP to manage congestion?

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Mrs Lim Hwee Hua: Sir, Mr Ong asked if the ERP charges for the ERP gantries on Handy Road and outside the YMCA can be done away with so that motorists are not charged when going from Orchard Road into the CBD and vice-versa.

Sir, let me explain the purpose of these two gantries. They serve to demarcate two distinct ERP cordons, ie, one for the Central Business District, and the other for the Orchard Road area. The CBD consists primarily of offices, while Orchard Road is a shopping belt, and both have different traffic patterns.Having the two cordons enables the LTA to tailor ERP charges to manage the traffic demand in each cordon, based on its distinct traffic conditions. For example, since implementing the two cordons, the LTA has been able to lift ERP charges in the Orchard Road area during the weekday mornings, whereas full ERP charges are imposed for the CBD.

The ERP charges for the Handy Road gantry also serve to discourage motorists from driving through Orchard Road to other destinations, including the CBD. The aim is to improve traffic conditions on Orchard Road for the benefit of genuine shoppers. Hence, on weekday afternoons and evenings, motorists using Orchard Road to enter the CBD will have to pay more than those entering the CBD through other roads.

Since the change, the average travel speeds on Orchard Road on weekday evenings and on Saturday afternoons, have improved from about 17 kilometres per hourto 23 kilometres per hour.I would like to assure Mr Ong that, as with all other ERP gantries, the rates at these two gantries will be regularly reviewed and adjusted based on the traffic conditions, so that our roads are optimally used.

Sir, Mr Ong has also asked if the implementation of the ERP along the northbound CTE on weekday evenings has improved travel speeds. Average travel speeds during the most congested period, ie, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm, have gone up significantly, from 28 kilometres per hour to 55 kilometres per hour.The average speeds of northbound traffic on the CTE stretch before the turn-off into the PIE have also improved, notwithstanding the heavier traffic on this stretch. The speeds here range from 45 kilometres per hour to 55 kilometres per hour instead of below 40 kilometres per hour previously.

While the average speeds on the alternative arterial roads have decreased, they are still within the optimal speed range of between 20 and30 kilometres per hour. For example, on the Thomson Road-Upper Thomson Road stretch, average speeds are about 24 kilometres per hour, compared with 30 kilometres per hourpreviously, while along Marymount Road, the average speeds are about 24 kilometres per hour, compared with 27 kilometres per hour previously.Finally, on theSerangoon Road-Upper Serangoon Road stretch, the speeds have come down slightly from about 22 kilometres per hour to just above 20 kilometres per hour.

Sir, LTA will continue to monitor the traffic situation closely.

Mr Ong Kian Min (Tampines): Sir, the two Questions have been combined. With your indulgence, I have four supplementary questions.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State - now that the Orchard Road area and the CBD, ie, the Bras Basah and Raffles Place area,operate effectively as two separate ERP cordons, whereas they used to be one large continuous zone and there are also offices in the Orchard Road area, such as Temasek Holdings - foroffice workers who used to drive within the CBD for meetings without having to pay, whether the two-cordon CBD has affected travel patterns and business within the CBD.

Secondly, Sir, while we understand that the peak hours for the two zones are different, ie,during certain hours the CBD ERP should operate and during certain other hours the Orchard RoadERP should operate, whether the Minister of State can consider that, during the overlapping operation hours, the two said gantries should not charge, so that the two zones are effectively combined into one, as in the past.

Thirdly, Sir, whether the Minister of State has observed that traffic along Orchard Road during the evening ERP hours is very smooth, maybe even too smooth, as there is so little traffic. So, will the ERP charges or operation hours be tweaked or adjusted to allow a reasonable flow of traffic and bring in more shoppers and, thereby, helping retailers in the area?

Fourthly, Sir, whether the Minister of State has found anecdotal evidence or complaints that the congestion along the northbound CTE now extends to beyond the ERP operation hours into quite late at night, sometimes even to 10.30 pm and 11.00 pm, and whether this has made it more inconvenient for motorists to get home to be with their families and, if thecongestion persists, are there any plans to extend the ERP operation hours?

Mrs Lim Hwee Hua: Sir, for the first two supplementary questions on the two cordons, basically this arrangement of having two adjacent cordons is new and we should really give it time to see how it works out. In addition to the quarterly rate reviews, the LTA will also review the overall effectiveness of the scheme and see if it needs to be improved after a year or so of operation. Also, as the two zones are actually quite well-served by buses and trains, motorists may want to consider using public transportation for inter-zone travelling.

As regards whether the traffic flow along Orchard Road during the evening ERP hours has been too smooth, based on LTA's data, the average travel speeds on Orchard Road on weekday evenings between 7.00 pmand 8.00 pm in Octoberwas about 23 kilometres per hour. And on Saturday evenings, the average speed recordedwas about 22 kilometres per hour. The ERP rates will be adjusted according to the traffic conditions during the quarterly reviews but, currently, the speeds are within the optimal speed range of between 20-30 kilometres per hour.

On Mr Ong's question about the implementation of the ERP on the CTE, LTA is monitoring the situation on the northbound CTE very closely. The current assessment is that traffic situation beyond 8.00 pm is still manageable. There are certainly some days where traffic speeds have dropped below the optimal range for short durations, but a consistent trend has not been established yet. It also depends, Sir, on whether there are occasions and events in the CTE, in particular, at Orchard Road. But, nonetheless, LTA will continue to monitor the traffic situationat the northbound CTE closely and will recommend additional measures to manage the congestion if a consistent trend has been established.