April 2013

Travel Early, Travel Free Travel on The MRT

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2 Free Train Rides To City For Early Birds

4 Award-Winning MyTransport.SG Grows 10 Times Since Launch

5 LTA And SBS Transit: Working Together To Improve Rail Services

6 Land Transport Initiatives Coming Your Way

8 Downtown Line 1: The Beginning

10 Cyclists: Dismount And Push

11 Cameras Monitor Illegal Parking

12 School Children Learn About Singapore Transport

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Free Train Rides To City For Early Birds1

CONTENTS

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1 Publicity posters and banners on the Travel Free Programme to be put up at selected MRT stations.

2 Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew and Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo observing the pre-peak hour crowd at Raffles Place MRT station platform.

Great news if you work in town and take the MRT: Arrive at 16 selected destination MRT stations before 7.45am on a weekday and your ride is free.

Yes, free.

The one-year trial will run from 24 June this year to 23 June next year, and aims to make train rides more comfortable by encouraging commuters to travel earlier before the morning peak hour.

The 16 destination stations are Bayfront, Bras Basah, Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut, Esplanade, Lavender, Marina Bay, Orchard, Outram Park, Promenade, Raffles Place, Somerset and Tanjong Pagar.

Those who miss the cut-off timing for free travel by a few minutes can also enjoy up to 50 cents off their train fare if they exit at any of the 16 stations between 7.45am and 8.00am on weekdays.

However, do note that free travel is only applicable on weekdays (except public holidays), and the point of entry should not be at any of the 16 stations. If you took a train from Lavender to Bayfront, you would not be entitled to free travel.

The free travel trial is a significant enhancement to the existing SMRT Early Travel Discount scheme, which offers up to 50 cents discount for travel on SMRT lines into 14 SMRT stations in the city area before 7.45am.

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1 LTA’s Group Director for Innovation & Infocomm Technology, Mrs Rosina Howe (in blue) receiving the Mob-Ex award.

In the three years since it was launched, MyTransport.SG has won five awards, three of which were international. It has just picked up its sixth.

The mobile app, which provides useful information on the go for anyone who is getting around in Singapore, won a Gold award at the first Mob-Ex awards. The awards recognize excellent mobile marketing efforts.

On the ground, MyTransport.SG is growing in usage by the day. Average page views per month before the launch of MyTransport.SG Mobile native (iOS and Android platforms) in 2011 was 350,000. Page views have since grown 10 times to a peak of 3 million page-views in a month.

MyTransport.SG Mobile has also been downloaded over 1 million times.

Group Director behind the mobile app, Mrs Rosina Howe, shares with Connect more on MyTransport.SG.

WhyhasMyTransport.SGproventobesopopularwithusersontheground? 

It fulfills its aim as a real-time one-stop transport advisory for all travelling needs in Singapore – whether the journey is made via motoring, commuting by bus/ train/taxi, cycling or even walking. We also open up our data for third-party development and this generates a reservoir of creative mobile apps which are largely free to all our users.

HowdoyouseeMyTransport.SGdevelopinginthefuture? 

We are working with popular third-party developers to fine-tune their applications as part of MyTransport so that users need not toggle between sites. One of the most popular services is bus arrival time and we are working towards providing island-wide coverage for better planning of journeys. Walking is also very much part of our daily travels and we are working on developing maps showing covered walkways.  

Not only are more people using the hugely popular MyTransport.SG, the award-winning app has just picked up another accolade.

Award-winning MyTransport.SG Grows 10 Times Since Launch

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1 Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew (left) with SBS Transit’s CEO Mr Gan Juay Kiat and Executive Vice President, Rail Mr Wong Wai Keong looking at the Overhead Catenary System (OCS).

The LTA and SBS Transit (SBST) have formed a joint team of engineering and maintenance experts to improve the service reliability of the North East Line (NEL) and Sengkang-Punggol LRT.

The joint team will examine possible causes and contributory factors to three service disruptions on the NEL. It will spend the next year identifying appropriate measures to address them and studying new materials to improve the system.

Already, it was found that the service disruptions were caused by stress corrosion cracking of vital rail components.

These rail components – particularly in the stretch between HarbourFront and Outram Park - have been replaced, and the joint team is carrying out checks beyond Outram Park MRT station to ensure the health of the entire NEL.

The joint team has also formulated longer term plans to improve the reliability of the NEL, including engaging an independent consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of maintenance regime and recovery measures. The consultancy will likely be concluded by mid 2014.

LTA had also set up a joint team with the other train operator, SMRT, to look into the reliability of the North-South Line, East-West Line and Circle Line.

LTA and SBS Transit: Working Together To Improve Rail Services

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• From the second half of this year, train frequencies and waiting times will be gradually improved as the operators run more train trips. Frequencies of trains during the shoulder peak periods will also be stepped up so each train will arrive at an interval of about three minutes.

• The LTA will continue to work closely with the public transport operators on areas like more rigorous maintenance and replacing older parts of the trains.

• For those who live near a train track, the LTA is installing noise barriers on 16 stretches of MRT tracks in the next three years to cut down the noise level.

• Buyers of luxury cars will now pay higher tax rates than buyers of budget cars.

• Owners of Category ‘C’ vehicles like vans and buses who choose to renew their COEs for five years will be allowed further 5-year COE renewals.

• LTA is working with the Housing and Development Board to make car sharing more accessible in the heartlands where feasible.

• The Marina Coastal Expressway, which will link the East Coast Parkway and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway with the Ayer-Rajah Expressway in the west, is on track to be opened by the end of the year.

• The Bus Service Enhancement Programme is moving ahead of schedule: Expect 280 more buses on the road by the end of this year. Most of the overall improvements - 800 new buses and 40 new bus services – will be made by late 2014 instead of the initial 2016 projection.

• More commuters will be able to hop onto private buses from their housing estates and travel to work in the city via the expressways.

• Buses will be given priority on the roads: Over the next two years, 30 km of bus lanes will be added, the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme will be expanded to another 150 bus stops, bus hubs where several buses can pick up passengers all at the same time will be increased from 10 currently to about 40.

Land Transport Initiatives Coming Your Way Upcoming land transport initiatives were announced at the recent Committee of Supply debate in March. Here is what anyone who needs to get around in Singapore can look forward to in future.

TAKE THE TRAIN?

TAKE THE BUS?

DRIVE?

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• The Green Man Plus scheme, which extends the green man time at traffic lights, will be expanded to more locations.

• All MRT and LRT stations are barrier-free, and soon, all bus interchanges will be too. Half of the public buses are wheelchair-accessible, and by 2020, all of them will be so.

• Lifts will be installed at selected pedestrian overhead bridges so the elderly do not have to climb the steps. Lifts at six bridges will be completed by the end of the year, and will be built at about 40 more bridges island-wide by 2018.

• Elder-friendly improvements – like elderly-friendly bus stop seats with hand grips for the elderly to support themselves when getting up from their seat, or smoothening out uneven parts of pavements which may cause an elderly person to fall – are constantly being made to the transport infrastructure.

• School zones will be made safer for children crossing the road with recognisable red-textured road surfaces, additional railings and traffic calming markings.

• 200 km more of sheltered walkways are being built around train stations, bus interchanges and bus shelters under the Walk2Ride programme so people can walk easily to transport hubs.

ELDERLY OR LESS MOBILE?

ARE YOU A PEDESTRIAN?

• Existing signs which alert motorists to the presence of sports cyclists along popular training routes in areas like Tanjong Rhu and Yishun, will be made more visible by the middle of this year.

CYCLE TO GET AROUND?

• With the emphasis on personal cycling safety, LTA is launching a guidebook on safe cycling tips and is painting road markings in some areas to remind cyclists to dismount at zebra crossings.

• LTA will finish building off-road cycling paths in Tampines and Sembawang this year. Cycling path networks in Bedok, Changi-Simei, Pasir Ris, Taman Jurong and Yishun, as well as areas such as East Coast, Jurong Lake District, Marina Bay and the Punggol Eco-Town, will be progressively completed by 2015.

• In total, there will be 210 km of off-road cycling paths to about 16 towns, or more than half of all HDB towns, by 2020.

• On top of the 2,400 bicycle racks being built at 20 MRT stations, the LTA is building another 600 racks at 12 more MRT stations by the third quarter of 2014.

• LTA is planning a pilot bicycle-sharing scheme at the Jurong Lake District.

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Part 1 of Connect’s series on the Downtown Line 1 (DTL1), which is opening at the end of this year, goes back to its beginnings in 2001. DTL1 consists of six stations: It will connect existing stations at Bugis, Promenade, Bayfront and Chinatown, to new stations at Downtown and Telok Ayer. The 4.3km line is fully underground and will open by the end of 2013.

LTA’s Deputy Group Director, Policy and Planning Ms Lina Lim talks about how the idea for the line came about.

Downtown Line 1: The Beginning

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When and why was the idea of DTL1 first mooted?To meet Singapore’s growth and travel demand, we recognised that additional radial lines were required to bring commuters from residential areas such as Bukit Timah and Bedok more directly to the City. At the same time, there was a need for greater connectivity within the City itself. Hence, the DTL was conceptualised as a central loop within the City supported by radial extensions towards the East and West. The idea behind DTL arose from the 2001 Concept Plan.

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Were there any concerns which were expressed at the time?As DTL1 would run within the densely built-up city central, there were concerns on the construction challenges and the need to minimise impact to existing land uses.

Why was this particular route chosen for DTL1? What was the thinking behind the exact station locations?The DTL1 alignment was planned to link up major activity nodes within the City, such as Chinatown, Bugis and Marina Bay. In addition, the DTL1 provides interconnectivity with other lines within the City like the East-West Line, Circle Line and North East Line. In deciding on the station locations, we wanted to maximise the connectivity benefits to commuters. For example, the new Marina Bay business district is served centrally by the Downtown station, which is located close to developments like the Marina Bay Financial Centre.

In the overall train network, what role does DTL1 play?With DTL1, places in the city will become more accessible than ever. Areas like Telok Ayer and the Marina Bay financial district would have an MRT station at their doorstep. Commuters would be able to travel directly from Bugis to Chinatown without transferring, making it even easier to eat, shop and work in the City. Together with the other rail lines envisioned in the Land Transport Master Plan by 2020, the DTL will help to achieve LTA’s vision for commuters within the Central Area to be able to access an MRT station within a five minute walk, on average.

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When a cyclist reaches a zebra crossing, he should not ride straight across.

Instead, he should get off his bike and ‘walk’ it to the other side of the road.

As a reminder to the many cyclists who may not be aware of this or neglect to do so, and who may be putting themselves in danger, the LTA is putting in new road markings at four zebra crossings in Tampines.

Cyclists: Dismount And Push

They are located at: Tampines Avenue 2 (Street 23), Tampines Street 22 (Blk 273), Tampines Street 22 (Blk 282) and Tampines Avenue 4 / Avenue 5.

Tampines is Singapore’s first cycling town, and many residents choose to get around by cycling on the widened pathways and clearly-marked cycling paths.

After the trial period of three months, the LTA may introduce it at more zebra crossings around Singapore if the markings prove to be effective.

1-2 Road markings to remind cyclists to dismount at zebra crossings.

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In order to deter illegal parking, the LTA is installing Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) at 30 selected locations island-wide.

The CCTVs –will operate round-the-clock and record footage of vehicles which park illegally at these places.

These locations are where many flout the parking rules, and which may then impede the smooth flow of public buses, or which cause traffic jams or compromise safety.

Installation of these cameras will start from the second quarter of 2013, and all the cameras will be up by 2014.

The cameras proved to be a successful deterrent following a trial along Beach Road in front of the Golden Mile Complex, and Marine Parade Central in front of the Parkway Parade Shopping Centre.

The list of the 30 locations selected for installation of CCTVs is available on the LTA’s website.

Cameras Monitor Illegal Parking

1 Lamp post sign informing road users that the area is monitored by CCTV.

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Connect is a bi-monthly newsletter of the Land Transport Authority. All rights reserved. © 2013Please contact Connect Editor regarding permission to reproduce any material within.ISSN:1793-4931ManagingEditor:Sharon Lok (sharon_lok@lta.gov.sg)Editor:Lim Si Ting (si_ting_lim@lta.gov.sg) EditorialAssistant:Lim Shi Jie (shi_jie_lim@lta.gov.sg) Corporate Communications Group

As part of their social studies classes, Primary 3 pupils in Singapore schools are being given a book called “Getting Around” developed by MOE with inputs from LTA.

It covers the history of land transport in Singapore and the challenges of meeting transport needs in a land-scarce country.

The book is one in a series of six social studies books which cover other topics like water, conservation, land use and housing.

The collaboration does not stop at the books.

LTA also conducted a teacher training workshop incorporating the gallery tour using an in-house designed teacher’s booklet adapted from the MOE Teacher’s package.

As part of school’s plans to bring their nine-year-olds on fun learning excursions outside of school, teachers are encouraged to bring them to the LTA’s Land Transport Gallery.

The gallery, which was opened in 2008, offers these pupils an interactive and fun learning experience as they learn about transport.

The LTA is partnering the Ministry of Education (MOE) to bring to life what Primary 3 school children will learn about the transport system in Singapore.

School Children Learn About Singapore Transport

CREDIT | Marshall Cavendish, ISBN 978-98101-1659-0