ROAD PRICING IN SINGAPORE : SOME OBSERVATIONS

Abstract

The severity of traffic congestion has increased dramatically over the years, prompting Singapore to adopt road pricing in 1975. She was the first country to implement such congestion pricing and the success was overwhelming. Traffic flow was reported to have fallen by as much as 60%. After 2 decades, road pricing was extended to the other major expressways, namely the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), the Central Expressway (CTE) and the East Coast Parkway (ECP). Thus, this study aims to unveil the travel behavior of car drivers in Singapore. Specifically, the factors influencing the choice of mode, route and departure time was analyzed, using survey data collected after the implementation of the extended Road Pricing Scheme (RPS). The probit model was employed for empirical estimation, together with the statistical software, TSP. The study found that mode choice, contrary to Wilson's (1988) study on ALS in Singapore, was unresponsive to road pricing. Almost 95% were not affected by the RPS. Furthermore, almost half of the car-drivers indicated unwillingness to switch to public transport, highlighting the captive nature of cars. Route and departure time choice was also found to be relatively unresponsive. Furthermore, drivers' aversion for high charges and reluctance to change departure time were also unveiled in the study.