SINGAPORE: 2007 is a year of fresh starts for the world of transport with the new superjumbo A380, the new Kallang—Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and a new chapter for budget carriers which have finally been given access to the Singapore—Kuala Lumpur route.
Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first A380 after an almost two—year delay.
Excitement built up further when over 400 passengers, who had to bid for their seats, took off on the first commercial A380 flight from Singapore to Sydney on 25 October.
Barely a month later, in another ground—breaking move, it was announced that the lucrative Singapore—Malaysia air route long held in a near monopolistic grip by the national carriers for over 30 years would be opened to budget carriers from February next year, on an initial limited basis.
On the home front, curious Singaporeans have been making a beeline to check out Changi AirportÂ’s S$1.75 billion Terminal 3, which will only officially open its doors in January next year.
There are also new beginnings for the road users.
The first phase of the KPE was opened to traffic on 26 October. When fully completed in end—2008, it will have the longest road tunnel in Southeast Asia 9km of the 12km expressway.
At the same time, another unexpected record was set for KPE over 3,000 motorists were booked for speeding on the expressway just within the first week of operations.
There were, however, few surprises, when it came to fares and fees.
As the KPE opened, a whole slew of new ERP charges from new gantries to extended operational hours were announced. On the public transport front, bus fares also went up during the annual fare review.
The highest ERP charge now stands at S$5 for the Pan—Island Expressway (PIE) slip road into the Central Expressway (CTE) its third ERP rate increase this year.
And from Members of Parliament to the man in the street, this has remained a bugbear.
MP Seng Han Thong said: "I hope it will make ERP more effective rather than make it more expensive."
"We donÂ’t mind, as vehicle owners, to pay increased ERP. But we are frustrated when we donÂ’t see any ease of traffic flow on the CTE," said a resident in the Thomson division.
One other area which made Singaporeans see red is errant cabbies who overcharge, refuse to pick up passengers or tout in nightspots like Clarke Quay.
After a series of complaints, the authorities finally acted by imposing higher penalties that range from increased fines and demerit points to possible suspension of licences.
Hopefully, all of that will lead to a better 2008.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20071217/tap-317847-231650b.html