ERP goes up... because we have too few cars?

Just 1 week after our wonderful minister said ERP helps more S'poreans to own cars, the government has decided to increase ERP rates AGAIN. 3rd time this year some more. I wish my salary can also increase 3 times a year.

So, does the government think our roads are too empty, and so more cars are needed, and so ERP has to go up? Let's take a look at the traffic cameras on our S'pore major roads to find out! And please, be sensible. Look at the traffic going AWAY from town area in the MORNINGS and look at the traffic going INTO town area in the EVENINGS. Who would travel to town in the mornings and travel out of town in the evenings? Very few I guess. That's why the roads are under-utilized and we need more cars. Or better yet, look at the traffic only during 1AM to 5AM, where the public transport is not in service. I mean, when there's no public transport, of course you need cars right? How else will the citizens travel during the busy timing of 1AM to 5AM?

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ERP rates going up again for third time this year
By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 October 2007 2045 hrs

SINGAPORE : Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) rates are going up again for the third time this year.

There will also be new gantries erected.

The highest amount will be charged at the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). The gantry affected is the one at the slip road into the Central Expressway (CTE).

From November 5, motorists will pay $3.50 from 7:30am to 8:00am. The amount charged goes up to $5.00 between 8:30am and 9:00am. This is a $1.50 increase in the 8:30am to 9:00am period since February this year.

The latest hike comes just days after the opening of the Kallang-Payar Lebar Expressway (KPE) Tunnel.

The KPE is expected to ease congestion on the CTE when it opens fully late next year.

ERP rates will also go up by 50 cents at six other gantries.

The CTE gantry north of Braddell Road will cost $2.50 between 7:30am and 8:00am.

Three CTE gantries south of Braddell Road will cost $4.00 between 8:30am and 9:00am.

Those travelling along Bendemeer Road will have to pay $1.50 from 8:30am to 9:00am, instead of the current $1.

Drivers on Thomson Road will also have to pay $1.50 between 8:30am and 9:00am.

New ERP gantries will also start operating on November 5.

There will be one on the north-bound CTE just before the PIE exit, and two along the east-bound ECP before the Rochor Road exit and Ophir Road slip road.

There is also another one on the south-bound Bukit Timah Expressway after the Dairy Farm exit before it joins the PIE. - CNA /ls

Blog Template Update

Been using the minimal black design template for quite a while. It's well... minimal. So I figured it's time for a change, so I downloaded a template that S had browsed recently and started modifying it. Some minor details are still not corrected yet. Hopefully I can get everything done within a week or so.

Do you like it? :)

ERP helps more S'poreans to own cars??

Our wonderful government representative has established yet another mathematical shortcut:

A+B+C+D=E can always be simplified to A=E.

Take the following news article for example, that states the growth of car population (E) is attributed by the implementation of ERP (A). Nevermind that the human population growth (B), or the increase in number of millionaires and overall wealth per head (C), or the efficiency (or lack of) of the public transport (D) are conveniently ignored.

This sounds even easier than PSLE mathematics questions.

And the objective of ERP is to have even more cars on the road?? Rrrright... my low IQ brain cannot comprehend such majestic logic and the grand scheme of things. Perhaps that is why I'm not a Minister.

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ERP helps more S'poreans to own cars: Minister
Oct 22, 2007

THE use of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) has made it possible for more Singaporeans to own cars.

Responding to a question for written reply in Parliament on Monday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said this is reflected in the growth of Singapore's car population from 680,000 in 1997 to 800,000 in 2006.

Dr Fatimah Lateef, MP for Marine Parade GRC, had asked the Minister if the ERP scheme has met the objectives that it was meant to achieve and if it has improved the traffic flow on expressways especially during peak hours.

In his reply, Mr Lim said since its implementation in 1998, ERP has been effective in maintaining average travel speeds on priced roads within the optimal speed range through regular reviews and rate adjustments. For example, average speeds on the expressways have remained at above 45km/h during peak hours.

"The use of ERP to manage traffic has made it possible for more Singaporeans to own cars than we otherwise could, and our vehicle population has grown from 680,000 in 1997 to 800,000 in 2006," he added.

"It has also allowed the Government to rely more on car usage charges and less on car ownership taxes to manage traffic demand, and as a result, vehicle ownership taxes have been reduced. "

The Ministers said the government will continue with a holistic and integrated approach using all the tools available to keep the roads smooth-flowing. These include building more roads, regulating vehicle growth, implementing traffic engineering solutions, managing traffic demand through ERP and promoting the use of public transport.

Book Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Yet another addition to my Neil Gaiman novel collection. Neverwhere talks all about London, both the London-above that we see, and the London-below that we don't see. Neil leads us through the (mis)adventure of the unlikely hero (who's really a typical-loser-white collar guy at the start) who didn't fit in the pretentious and gloomy London-above life, and was forced to engage in a very different fantasy-like London-below alternate world.

The story does really present like a typical fantasy world... magic, warriors, monsters that talk, quests to fulfill etc etc, but all twisted in Neil Gaiman style. The plot was attractive enough for me to continuously read for 3 nights and finishing it faster than I would have done for a similar-size Dungeon-and-Dragons book. And it makes me kind of want to go UK again to venture the lesser visited places. Damn, if only I can afford the moolah and the time.

People familiar with (or have a liking for) London should like this book, should they be interested in what is Night's Bridge, who is the Earl in Earl's Court, how a bazaar in Harrods might turn out, and what is really going on in the massive subway and sewer networks in London-below.

Overall, it is a lighthearted read. Nice enough for me, but I think it didn't give me the kind of overwhelming feeling that I had after reading American Gods, which I hope to find again in my next Neil Gaiman book.

Oh, and I found out on Amazon that there is actually a comic version of the story, drawn by Mike Carey. I really ought to find the comics and consider purchasing if they are drawn well. :D

L's Reading Corner

I decided to make a post to track books I have read, am reading, or plan to read. This is more for my personal reminder, where I'll add in new books to buy when I see a good review somewhere.

Future (Plan to Read)
SOROS: The Unauthorized Biography, the Life, Times and Trading Secrets of the World's Greatest Investor - Robert Slater

The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less - Barry Schwartz

Present (Am Reading)
A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing - Burton G. Malkiel

Your Magic Power To Be Rich! - Napoleon Hill

Past (Have Read) - Fiction
300 - Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
The Icewind Dale Trilogy (The Crystal Shard, Streams Of Silver, The Halfling's Gem) - R. A. Salvatore
The Dark Elf Trilogy (Homeland, Exile, Sojourn) - R. A. Salvatore
Legacy of the Drow (The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege Of Darkness, Passage To Dawn) - R. A. Salvatore
Paths of Darkness (The Silent Blade, The Spine Of The World, Servant Of The Shard, Sea Of Swords) - R. A. Salvatore
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy (The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords) - R.A. Salvatore

Past (Have Read) - Investments
The Only Three Questions That Count: Investing by Knowing What Others Don't - Ken Fisher, Jennifer Chou, Lara Hoffmans, and James J. Cramer

Past (Have Read) - Social, Psychology etc
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History - Howard Bloom
The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century - Thomas L. Friedman

S's Beers Collection

Another list to update... I am going to start collecting beer bottles on top of the HRC short glasses and pins that I have and still collecting (starting from 21-Sep-07):

Here's what we have been collecting so far..
Belle-Vue, Brussels
Duvel, Belgium
Erdinger Dunkel, Germany
Grolsch, Holland
Hite, Korean