Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
bloomberg.com
Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
1–10 of 79 posts
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#2Amazing! This more than anything else seems so sci-fi to me. Reminds me of the Diamond Age somehow. In the US we have so much space we take for granted building a new road a new subdivision a new 5acre parking lot. Imagine if there was no more space. Cars now become a whole lot more of a questionable use of space.
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#3I think it's overall a good move, given 12% of their land is used up by transport networks and it's a tiny island.
That said, if space is a real constraint, I think they could make a deal with Malaysia, if they really needed to, but I think their independent streak is too strong to allow that thought --they once were part of it, pre-independence. On the other hand there are "autonomous" regions out there.
The question[1] has been considered in some circles, although more fantasy than anything else due to enormous, maybe insurmountable, cultural and ethnic differences. One is Sinetic the other Malay --and in the past lead to some terrible ethnic riots.
[1]https://www.quora.com/What-if-Singapore-combines-with-Malays...
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#4This doesn't surprise me. Already they are trying to economically limit the number of cars there (as mentioned in the article). Singapore has an extremely efficient public transport system and a culture that already isn't highly dependant on cars so I don't see a massive social shift being in order to accomodate the plan.
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#5I think that many asian cities have the right approach here. Treat cars as a luxury good in a space-challenged context and tax them heavily, while making sure to provide a world class public transport system so as to guarantee no-one actually needs a car.
While it doesn't have a COE, tokyo does basically the same thing. You will have to pay $50k upfront for a 10-year car permit in singapore. In Tokyo there's no upfront cost but good luck getting a car park for less than $500/m - and you'll have to prove you have one to register the car. Adds up to about the same amount.
I live 100m from a train station with 2 lines, automated trains come every 3-4 minutes, 8 minutes to my workplace. Bike share outside my door. 3 supermarkets and hundreds of shops within walking distance. If absolutely necessary, there's Uber or grab. You don't need a car here. It's a luxury for the rich, and that's pretty much as it should be IMO.
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#6I think it's overall a good move, given 12% of their land is used up by transport networks and it's a tiny island. That said, if space is a real constraint, I think they could make a deal with Malaysia, if they really needed to, but I think their independent streak is too strong to allow that thought --they once were part of it, pre-independence. On the other hand there are "autonomous" regions out there. The questio…
> more fantasy than anything else
You got that right. This will never happen.
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#7It is important to note that Singapore/HongKong have world class, reliable and reachable public transport. The MTR is heavenly. The population is concentrated in big, tall buildings. Not quite the "lifestyle" but I can see why banning cars is important here.
Given that the standard of living is high, pretty much everyone will be able to afford cars if they cost the real market price. This will make movement impossible even if the populace owned cars just for leisure use.
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#8The headline is technically incorrect. Cars will still be added as long as an equal number of cars are removed.
Bloomberg has also updated its headline to read: "Singapore Will Stop Increasing Car Numbers From February 2018"
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#9Wait does this include electric cars? Was not clear from the article
Re: Singapore to Stop Adding Cars in February 2018
#10I never really understood why governments insist on restricting vehicles and not access to roads. It seems like the scarce resource is efficient road access, not space for cars (even in sg, where there's not a whole lot of that either).