Khaw Boon Wan
Singapore
“Motor vehicle dealerships and showrooms have been closed since the start of the circuit breaker. As COE bidding is done mostly by the motor vehicle dealers on behalf of prospective owners, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) suspended COE bidding for the months of April and May.”
“Though stressed by the financial pain, they press on with the immediate priority of fighting the virus and supporting essential services. Post-pandemic, we will see how public transport evolves. Will demand for public transport services simply return to the pre-pandemic level?”
“Under our rail financing framework, the Government fully pays for the cost of building new rail lines. In other words, we do not recover the cost of building the Cross Island Line (CRL) from commuters through fares. The CRL project is being implemented and the final costs will depend on tender bids.”
“There are around 5,000 private bus operators with a combined fleet of 13,500 private buses. As we do not track the number of private bus trips and passengers, we do not have data on their carbon emissions.”
“There are nursing rooms at 50% of our bus interchanges. We will provide nursing rooms at all new bus interchanges and integrated transport hubs. For the MRT network, we will provide nursing rooms at all new interchange stations. We will also explore providing such facilities when MRT stations undergo upgrading.”
“Over the last three years, Singapore carriers have reported a total of 20 incidents of food allergies on board their flights. None required the use of epinephrine or emergency flight diversions.”
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“Currently, 16 Active Mobility Enforcement Officers from the Land Transport Authority (LTA), supported by more than 600 volunteers under the Active Mobility Patrol scheme, are involved in enforcement against errant cyclists and users of personal mobility devices. LTA is also looking at using other methods, such as closed-circuit television cameras, to deter offenders.”
“During a detrainment, the rail operator will deploy staff to assist commuters to evacuate safely to the nearest station, focusing on those with special mobility needs. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel will also be on site, and stretchers will be used to evacuate wheelchair users as the maintenance walkway beside the running tracks is not wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. The operators conduct regular detrainment exercises with the Land Transport Authority and SCDF, and these exercises include detraining commuters in wheelchairs. The most recent exercise was held in December 2016.”
“Our public bus industry fully transitioned to the bus contracting model in September 2016. This includes the two packages of bus services awarded to Tower Transit and Go Ahead through open tenders and the 12 packages that are operated by the incumbent operators, SBS Transit and SMRT. Over time, the operators of the 12 packages will also be appointed through open tenders, starting with that of the Seletar package to be awarded in the first quarter of 2017. Service levels have improved under the contracting model. Bus services now operate at scheduled headways of 15 minutes or less during peak hours. As operators compete for bus captains with improved remunerations and working conditions, more Singaporeans have been attracted to the industry. The number of Singaporean bus captains has increased from around 2,400 to 3,000 over the past year. All these improvements have, however, increased operating costs and public subsidies. After factoring in the recent fare reduction, we expect to incur $3.5 billion to $4 billion in subsidies for bus services over the next five years. To prevent the subsidies from ballooning over time, we will continue to impose cost discipline on the operators through regular competitive tenders and also through regular rationalisation of bus services, where ridership is low and the commuters have shifted to new Mass Rapid Transit lines. We must also maintain price discipline through regular fare adjustments.”
“Self-driving technology, indeed, has the potential to transform public transport. For example, self-driving buses can help address the shortage of bus drivers. Self-driving pods or shuttles can be deployed at the neighbourhood level to further improve the first and last mile of a public transport journey. Commuters can summon these vehicles using their smartphones, and the vehicles will bring them in air-conditioned comfort from their doorsteps to the train station. This will be especially useful for the elderly, families with young children, and the less mobile. Over the last two years, the Ministry of Transport has signed agreements with various private companies and research institutes to develop and trial such self-driving technologies and concepts. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is developing self-driving buses for Singapore’s roads and climatic conditions. We expect the first on-road testing of NTU's self-driving buses to commence by the middle of 2018. A*STAR, Singapore-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alliance for Research and Technology, Delphi Automotive Systems and nuTonomy are currently conducting self-driving trials in one-north Business Park which would be useful for first- and last-mile application. Singapore Technologies Engineering and Sentosa Development Corporation will be trialling a fleet of self-driving vehicles to ferry visitors within Sentosa, as Gardens by the Bay had done. Plans are underway for more trials. There have been significant and rapid advances in self-driving technology and we expect it to be mature enough for widespread deployment in 10 to 15 years. Meanwhile, we will continue to press ahead with trials and limited deployment.”
“Our view is that requiring private hire car drivers to have a minimum driving experience of two years should be adequate to reasonably ensure passenger safety. There is no need to also discriminate on the basis of age. In fact, where safety is concerned, the number of years of driving experience may be more important than age. An older person who has just gotten his driving licence might be less confident behind the wheels, compared to a younger person, say 25 years old, who has been driving for a few years.”
“The upgrade of the signalling system for the North-South Line will be completed by March this year, and that for the East-West Line by 2018. When the upgrade is completed, we will be able to run the trains closer together: one train every 100 seconds, compared to 120 seconds today. We will run the trains at this improved frequency during peak hours, effectively increasing the capacity of the two lines by 20%. Commuters can benefit from shorter waits and more comfortable rides. Changing the signalling system is, however, a complex undertaking and we have been advised by other mass rapid transit operators, including the London Underground, to expect significant teething problems in the process. Thus, I had asked the Land Transport Authority and the operator SMRT to conduct much more extensive testing before switching to the new signalling system. Still, the experience elsewhere suggests that testing may not completely anticipate and eliminate the technical glitches that come when the system is fully loaded. We thus seek commuters' understanding and patience. Thales, the signalling equipment manufacturer, is training SMRT staff on the operation and maintenance of the new system. They will also provide technical support in the initial years to resolve any teething issues.”
“It is not noticeable, partly because it coincided with the December holiday period. Also the bulk of vehicles using the Causeway are motorcyclists. But regardless of whether it goes up or down, you know our policy.”
“Madam, we estimate that Malaysia has collected RM13.9 million, or almost RM14 million, in road charges from Singapore vehicles from 1 November to 20 December last year. We have a long-standing policy of matching any levy, tolls or fees charged by Malaysia for using the road links between Singapore and Malaysia. This is to ensure that Malaysia takes into consideration our response whenever they raise their tolls or introduce a new levy. We will, therefore, match Malaysia's road charge. We will announce details of this matching charge soon.”
“Self-driving technology gives us the opportunity to improve the public transport system in a significant way. For example, we can overcome manpower shortages with self-driving buses. We can also introduce new mobility concepts, such as fleets of self-driving pods, to enhance first-last mile travel. We are testing these and other concepts to better understand the technology and their potential for application in Singapore. Self-driving technology, however, is not yet mature enough for widespread public deployment. Most analysts believe that this day is about 10 to 15 years away. But over the next few years, we will see incremental deployment in limited circumstances and geographies. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has established a regulatory framework to facilitate trials of self-driving vehicles in Singapore. To trial on public roads, self-driving vehicles must demonstrate roadworthiness by passing an overall vehicle safety assessment. All trial participants must have in place insurance covering injury to persons, death and property damage. We are also studying the regulatory and legal frameworks we would need to have in place for the day when self-driving vehicles are deployed on our roads on an actual-use basis, and no longer for trials and pilots. The trials currently being conducted in One-North and other parts of Singapore will give us a better understanding of these issues. We are also sharing notes with overseas counterparts. LTA and the Traffic Police are investigating the accident involving nuTonomy's self-driving car. In the meantime, nuTonomy has stopped its trials while it reviews the causes of the accident and how to improve the safety of its trials and rectify any technological shortcomings it may find.”
“The "practical steps and mechanisms" for passages by vessels are implemented within the framework of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Freedom of navigation, including navigation by Singapore-registered civilian vessels, is a fundamental element of that framework. This freedom of navigation enables vessels to ply their trade to different parts of the world, including through vital sea lines of communication in the South China Sea. More recently, ASEAN member states and China have also reaffirmed their commitment to the freedom of navigation and overflight above the South China Sea in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including UNCLOS. To ensure a smooth voyage, all vessels must exercise due care. Vessels are required to carry nautical charts to plan their route and monitor their position throughout the voyage, exercising care to avoid navigational hazards. Ships owners should also ensure that their vessels are properly maintained and adequately manned by competent crew. To this end, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) ensures that Singapore-registered vessels are seaworthy, and crew onboard are duly certified. Singapore-registered vessels in situation of distress should contact MPA and the surrounding coastal states for assistance. To date, MPA has not received any reports of interference from Singapore-registered vessels traversing the South China Sea.”
“The Circle Line incident is a very interesting incident that my team has spent several weeks on. We are challenged by that, but we find it exciting tackling this challenging incident. The cause is clear, that there was signal interference – a particular signal was interfering with our wireless signalling system and causing some of these difficulties. But tracking down the source of the interfering signal requires a lot of effort, and it is intellectually very challenging because there are many possibilities and we just got to, one by one, through elimination, try to establish what exactly is the source. We are very close to it now and I am fairly confident that, within this week, we will be able to go public on what exactly was the source and how we will fix it. I think in a few days' time. Let us watch the American Presidential Election first.”
“The answer is yes. We are in this business where reliability and quality are paramount because if you are not able to deliver quality and reliability, then you are in the wrong business. So, that must be the culture and, at least, based on the current team that I have been working with the last one year, I think it is in their DNA. We will deliver on this – not to worry.”
“Commuters will then have alternative routes on the rail network to get to their destinations should there be a disruption on one of them. Finally, we are building up the expertise of our rail engineers. LTA has set up various advisory panels, comprising international and local experts, to get advice and to learn from their experience and the international best practices. We are also setting up the Singapore Rail Academy to augment industry efforts in manpower development.”
“Madam, as I said just a while ago, our rail reliability is improving, but we are not yet where we want to be. Our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains now travel about 158,000 train-kilometre (km), almost 160,000 train-km, between delays of more than five minutes. This is a common industry-wide performance indicator on reliability. This performance, 158,000 train-km, is better than the performance of last year of 133,000 train-km: about 160,000 train-km versus 130,000 train-km. However, we are still quite far off from Hong Kong (Mass Transit Railway’s (MTR's) performance of 360,000 train-km and Taipei Metro's 800,000 train-km. The best in class chalks up 800,000 train-km; we are now 160,000 train-km. We have set ourselves a target of 400,000 train-km by 2018 and 800,000 train-km by 2020 for our MRT lines. Together with the operators, we have a comprehensive plan to reach this higher standard. First, we are improving the current maintenance regimes. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has introduced new process-based Maintenance Performance Standards to address maintenance issues upstream before delays occur. LTA and the operators have increased their maintenance and engineering manpower and stepped up maintenance checks. Second, with the transition of the industry to the New Rail Financing Framework, where the Government will own the operating assets, we will be able to renew and replace all operating assets in a timely manner. Some of the renewal works for the North-South and East-West Lines have already begun. For example, the replacement of sleepers, the signalling system and the power rail would all be completed by 2018. Third, we are expanding our rail network to enhance its resilience.”
“I think from a purely financial viewpoint, my understanding from SMRT is it has always been loss-making for the BPLRT. But they are also responsible for the North-South East-West Lines. So, as a company, they look at it from a total portfolio point of view. As I said earlier, the current team does not look at it from a pure bottom-line angle, rather that they are a public service provider, they have a duty to perform, and their job is to deliver it to the best of their ability. From an overall system's point of view, I must make a point that if you want a good train service, one must invest sufficient resources into the operator, whoever is the operator. Since resources come from both the Government as well as fares collection, fare revisions have to be timely and adequate. That is why we have an independent Public Transport Council (PTC) to ensure the long-term viability of all the train services.”
“Madam, I find the comment rather unfair on the existing leadership or team working at SMRT. I have worked with them for one year now. I have been in the Ministry for one year. I spend a lot of time on the ground talking to the people from top, senior level to the junior level, including many of the engineers, assistant engineers and technicians working their guts out in the trenches. I cannot speak for the previous leadership of SMRT but, for the current team, they are taking this very seriously, not just BPLRT but the entire MRT network, because they know that whatever they do or fail to do have major impact. As I said a couple of days ago, more than two million commuters use our service every day and we can make a difference to their lives. That is a very important function that we play. So, I am less interested in the past but on the way forward. In fact, in the past few months, I believe that things are improving. I take trains, and many commuters come forward to express their direct experience because they are daily users of the service. Just last week, on a train, one secondary school student came to me. He recognised me and he came for a chat. So, I asked, "Do you use the train service every day?" He said, "Yes, every day. How else can I move around?" I asked, "Have you personally experienced disruptions?" He said, "Many." I was very sad to hear that. So, I asked, "When was your last disruption experience?" He said, "December last year." I said, "That means this year, things have improved?" He said, "Oh yes."”
“The short answer is yes and we do. And I think the Member would know that if you look at recent incidents of handling, things have improved. But for BPLRT, in particular, a lot of energy is right now also spent on sorting out the medium-term solutions which we need to clean up within the next four or five years. I am reasonably confident that we can tackle this problem. I am more confident about this than my bet on who is the next American President.”
“The engineering study is ongoing. Our likely approach comprises two key elements. First, we are studying a redesign of Bukit Panjang station, its track layout and the BPLRT routing to remove the need to constantly switch tracks and to smoothen some parts of the alignment. Second, we are sourcing for new trains, power rail, signalling system and various other critical components to replace our first-generation assets. These measures should improve reliability and performance. There have been suggestions to replace the BPLRT with a bus-only transport system. This is not feasible. The road network in Bukit Panjang will not be able to cope.”
“Madam, Light Rail Transport (LRT) systems are normally deployed for straightforward point-to-point connections on flat terrain. Typical examples include the Sentosa Express and skytrains in airports to connect terminal buildings. The decision to implement the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT), required shoe-horning an LRT system into a built-up town. This has posed significant engineering challenges, requiring the LRT to make sharp bends and over undulating terrain. The BPLRT's reliability has therefore been unsatisfactory, despite significant efforts by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) and the train manufacturer, Bombardier over many years. There are two main technical challenges for BPLRT. First, the current design of the power rail. It requires three points of contact simultaneously with the trains' collector shoes. Any misalignment could trigger a power trip or even dislodge the collector shoes, causing a disruption. The sharp bends and undulating terrain further contribute to this problem. Sixty percent of the major disruptions in the past three years were caused by power trips or dislodged collector shoes. Second, the current track layout in the vicinity of Bukit Panjang station and the LRT service routing require trains leaving the Bukit Panjang station to constantly switch tracks. This has made the switch point a critical vulnerability. Meanwhile, many key components, including the trains, power rail and the signalling system, are coming to the end of their design lives in about four to five years' time. They will have to be replaced. We are taking this opportunity to redo the BPLRT to enable a step jump in reliability. Fortunately, there are now better technology and designs available, compared to 17 years ago.”
“The law already provides for those injured by bicycles, power-assisted bicycles or vehicles to seek compensation through private settlement or civil Court action. For cases where the offender is prosecuted and convicted in a criminal Court, the Courts will consider if compensation to the victim should be paid, based on the circumstances of each case.”
“There are adequate parking lots in the vicinity of Golden Shoe Car Park, even if it is redeveloped into an office building. There are also many public transport options, with two Mass Rapid Transit stations on three different lines and 50 bus services serving the area. The Land Transport Authority will revise its requirements for the provision of car parks from time to time, in tandem with the expansion of our public transport network and in line with our car-lite strategy.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has received 499 complaints against its enforcement officers this year, of which 74 were found to be valid. These 74 complaints were against outsourced enforcement officers. LTA investigates these complaints and takes appropriate action against officers found guilty of misconduct, which can range from counselling to dismissal. Members of the public who wish to lodge a complaint against LTA's enforcement officers can do so via email, text message or an online feedback form. The information can be found on LTA's website. LTA's enforcement officers are, indeed, assessed for suitability for the job, including temperament. They undergo training that includes code of conduct, rules of engagement, and how to handle members of the public. Page: 131”
“The noise level as measured at Central Grove Condominium is lower than the National Environment Agency's noise threshold of 67 decibels averaged over an hour. We will continue to monitor the situation, while also implementing system-wide measures to mitigate railway noise. These include fitting trains with noise-dampening wheels, using ballast and concrete sleepers on elevated tracks which absorb vibrations from trains better, and servicing train wheels and tracks even more frequently.”
“The Land Transport Authority and SBS Transit issued a joint press release on 18 October 2016 on this incident. Investigations found that a bolt on the fastener, which secures the platform screen door to the guide rail, had loosened and caused the door to be misaligned. The door was dislodged after coming into contact with the side of a train. No commuters were hurt. The contractors are enhancing the fasteners throughout the Downtown Line to prevent a recurrence.”
“Similarly, on the rail side, due to the Government taking over ownership of the operating assets under the New Rail Financing Framework, the Government expects to spend over $4 billion on renewing, upgrading and expanding operating assets over the next five years. These will be on top of the $20 billion that the Government has committed to spend on building new rail lines in the same period. We are also requiring the rail operators to invest more heavily in maintenance to raise our rail reliability substantially. Realistically, it is neither possible nor sustainable to improve service standards without having fares keep pace with the rising costs. The current fare formula is valid for five years including for the 2017 fare exercise. The PTC will review the formula before its expiry next year, and take into context the changes to the public transport landscape. A fine balance is necessary to ensure that our public transport system remains financially and operationally viable while fares remain affordable.”
“The Public Transport Council's (PTC's) decisions on fare reviews are guided by the fare formula, which was last reviewed by the Fare Review Mechanism Committee in 2013. The decision then was to address the issue of service quality outside of the formula, so that the Government can regulate and work with the operators independently to improve service levels. This approach keeps the fare formula relatively straightforward, without the complication of differentiating fare adjustments on account of service quality. More importantly, it does not hinder our efforts to raise service levels. Since 2013, the rail network has been expanded by 20 kilometres and the train fleet for the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL), North East Line (NEL) and Circle Line (CCL) has increased by about 25%, significantly alleviating train crowding. As part of the Bus Service Enhancement Programme implemented from 2012, 820 of the 1,000 buses planned for have been deployed on the roads. In line with these service level improvements, the percentage of commuters expressing satisfaction with our public transport services rose from 88.5% in 2013 to 91.8% in 2015. With the transition to the Bus Contracting Model and the New Rail Financing Framework, we expect service levels to improve further. However, the cost of improving service levels, and the corresponding extent of Government subsidies for public transport, will also increase. For instance, under bus contracting, the Government will be subsidising about $3.5 billion to $4 billion in the next five years.”
“From January 2013 to August 2016, 4% of motor vehicle accidents involving elderly pedestrians resulted in serious injuries and 11% in fatality. To enhance road safety for pedestrians, especially seniors, the Land Transport Authority introduced the Silver Zone programme in 2014. In the nine locations where Silver Zones have been implemented, so far, only one accident involving seniors has occurred, compared to more than 40 accidents in the five-year period preceding Silver Zones. We plan to expand to 50 locations in total by 2023. We have also introduced and are expanding other road safety features for seniors, such as the Green Man Plus programme, and road dividers at pedestrian crossings which allow seniors to pause safely in the middle of the road before resuming their crossing.”
“Construction of Changi Airport Terminal 4 is progressing well and is on schedule to be completed by the end of this year. This will be followed by operational trials and testing. We expect the terminal to commence operations in the second half of 2017. Terminal 4 is expected to handle between eight and 10 million passengers annually in the first three years of operation.”
“Building more roads to improve traffic speeds is not a sustainable option in land-scarce Singapore. Furthermore, studies based on the experiences of other cities have shown that building more roads only relieves congestion temporarily. Soon, more motorists will be attracted to use the additional roads, making them congested as well. The more sustainable approach is to encourage motorists to switch to public transport, manage traffic demand, and continue to tighten the growth of the vehicle population. We have recently added 15 new trains to increase the capacity of the North-East Line. We will introduce two additional bus services by the end of this year to bring residents living in the Northeast from their homes directly to the city centre. We are also monitoring traffic speeds to see whether there is a need to introduce Electronic Road Pricing on the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE). We reduced the vehicle growth rate to 0.25% from 2015, and will consider whether to bring it to zero at the next review. For safety reasons, we cannot increase the speed limit of the KPE between Buangkok Drive and Defu flyover. The assessment is that this stretch of the KPE does not have sufficient sight distance for motorists to react to traffic or obstacles ahead if they are travelling above 80 kilometres per hour.”
“Madam, as I said, the primary duty or responsibility lies with the taxi operator. Certainly, ideas like this are things that they should consider and, I think, some already do. But sometimes if you just get the image but without much other information and the fellow just runs away, it is not easy to track down. Where the identity is known, our success rate in tracking down and getting the money back for the taxi driver is pretty good. Where it requires us to go all the way to the Court, the success rate is about 85%. But we do need to know the identity.”
“Madam, we are most sympathetic to the taxi drivers who experience such incidents. But if the taxi driver could not tell us the identity of the person, other than saying that the person is of a particular race or gender, it is very hard for us to track down the person. So, I think commonsense requires the taxi drivers, when they encounter such an incident, to get as much information as they can from the fare evader basic information like name, address and so on. There are instances we know of where they could not get the information, they will try to report to the Police, fetched the passenger all the way to the Police station and let the Police step in. The primary duty or responsibility of helping the taxi drivers resides with the taxi operator, and the operator should be the first to help out, which must also include sharing with their taxi drivers tips on how to reduce such incidents and, as I said, some of which are commonsense, which is that you must get the basic information. I think taxi operators can also take a look at how some of the new players in this field, for example, Uber and Grab, how they handle such cases. And there are obviously good best practices which they can pick up from these new players. But my message to commuters who cheat on taxi drivers is this: taxi driving is tough work and they need the money, the revenue, to feed their family. Please do not cheat on them.”
“The number of taxi fare evasion cases is about 150 every month, out of about 700,000 taxi trips. Sixty-five percent of fare evasion cases involved unidentified fare evaders, which are very challenging to resolve. So, that is about two-thirds, that means about 100 such cases per month. Because they are not identified, we do not know the identity of these evaders. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) was able to recover fares for about half of all cases referred to it for investigation. These include both identified as well as unidentified evaders and we were able to help resolve about half of them, bearing in mind that among all fare evasion cases, two-thirds are without identity. To further deter fare evasion, we introduced higher penalties for fare evaders in May this year. If found guilty, fare evaders are liable to a fine of up to $1,000 for first-timers, while subsequent offenders may be fined up to $2,000, or jailed up to six months, or both. It is also mandatory for offenders to make restitution payment to taxi drivers.”
“Madam, can I take Question Nos 16 and 17 together, please?”
“I think the number of actual users of the scheme, numbers by the hundreds, should be seen against the daily commuter traffic of more than two million, and whether Kallang or whichever car parks, where motorists can still park and ride. Many motorists that I know of, including myself, do park and ride, except that we park and we pay for the car park, without having to ask for more subsidies because there are already significant savings, as I said, of a few hundred dollars per month by parking at the fringe rather than going into the CBD and trying to look for a car park.”
“The objective of the Park and Ride scheme is to reduce traffic congestion in the central business district (CBD) by encouraging motorists to switch to public transport just before entering the CBD. It was introduced long ago in 1975, before our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system was built, and when the public transport network was also much less extensive. Today, many commuters are able to take the MRT and buses directly to the city from their homes which, therefore, makes the Park and Ride Scheme much less useful. Indeed, over the past few years, the take-up rate for the scheme has been consistently low, very low. There are fewer than 2,000 regular users, most of whom do not take public transport after parking their cars. This suggests that a good number of motorists are using the Park and Ride scheme as cheap, subsidised destination parking. This defeats the purpose of the scheme. Motorists who wish to drive for a part of their journey before switching to public transport can still park their cars at any car park near public transport. It will still be cheaper than parking in the CBD, even without the subsidy from the Park and Ride scheme. Motorists who park at the Sports Hub or at Kallang, for example, and take public transport, could see savings of up to a few hundred dollars monthly, as they do not have to pay the much more expensive season parking in the CBD nor Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges. There is no need for taxpayers to provide further subsidies.”
“Madam, can I take Question Nos 14 and 15 together, please?”
“For parking provisions in private estates, LTA adopts a consultative approach and works with Neighbourhood Committees, grassroots leaders and resident groups to strike a balance between meeting parking needs and ensuring safety and smooth traffic flow. Rules, once instituted, will have to be uniformly applied to all, residents and non-residents alike. The Government cannot be giving to residents of private estates exemptions from the law in the use of public roads, to which other Singaporeans are subject.”
“We are a small, densely populated country with limited airspace. Our approach is to facilitate unmanned aircraft operations as much as possible, while ensuring safety for everyone. Operations of unmanned aircraft near and over residential estates may be allowed, depending on the nature of operations and the proximity of the estate to restricted areas, such as civilian and military aerodromes and security-sensitive locations. Operators must obtain the necessary permits from CAAS if such flying is conducted in the course of business, within 5 kilometres of an aerodrome, at an altitude higher than 200 feet above mean sea level, in a restricted area, or if the total weight of the unmanned aircraft is over 7 kilograms. Regardless of whether a permit is required, all operators, including recreational users, are responsible for operating their unmanned aircraft in a manner which does not endanger the safety of any person, aircraft or property. They must also respect the privacy of others. CAAS has published guidelines for operators of unmanned aircraft. In the last year, the Government had received one report of a remote control aeroplane that damaged the roof of a housing block in Bishan. The operator could not be located. CAAS, together with the relevant agencies, will continue to monitor unmanned aircraft activities closely and adjust the regulations as needed. Given Singapore's land constraints, promoting the shared use of space for recreational activities, including flying an unmanned aircraft, rather than designating areas as special flying parks, is the preferred approach. Recreational users are known to frequent a few open areas, such as Marina Barrage and an open field at Old Holland Road. Page: 102”
“All Secondary-level home-schooling Singapore citizens aged 20 and below, including those who have returned from overseas, are eligible for a Private Education Institute Student Concession Card if they are pursuing the General Certificate of Examination (GCE) Normal, Ordinary or Advanced Level qualification, or an International Baccalaureate qualification.”
“A dedicated multi-agency body, the Public Transport Security Committee, constantly reviews the threat assessment by our security agencies and recalibrates as necessary the security measures for our public transport network. We adopt a risk-based approach, so that the measures deployed can effectively mitigate the security threats but, at the same time, not overly and unnecessarily impair the smooth functioning of the public transport system. Our approach comprises measures at various levels. The public transport operators engage Transit Security Officers (TSOs) to keep watch at MRT stations and bus interchanges. This is supplemented by police patrols and CCTV surveillance coverage. Commuters also play an important role, to look out for and report suspicious persons and unattended items. We calibrate the security measures according to the prevailing threat situation. Currently, TSOs conduct checks on selected commuters and their belongings. Police officers on patrol also check on suspicious persons. If and when the security situation warrants, we will subject all commuters to Page: 101 security checks.”
“The Accident Review Panel was convened by SMRT and it is their prerogative to decide whether to make the full report public. Findings from the investigations by LTA and MOM will be made public after all investigations, including a possible Coroner's Inquiry, have been completed. This is so as not to prejudice any of the proceedings.”
“The validity period of COEs, whether first-time COEs or renewal COEs, was originally set at 10 years. However, in response to appeals from vehicle owners, including motorcycle owners, whose COEs are expiring but feel that their vehicles might not last beyond another five years, we changed the policy in 1992 to allow them to renew their COEs for five years, as a concession. The vehicles must then be deregistered at the end of the five years. If, however, the vehicle is deregistered before five years, the amount paid for the remaining COE validity period will be refunded. In that sense, the vehicle owner already has some flexibility to keep the vehicle for less than five years. Allowing vehicle owners to renew their COEs for any number of years they choose favours, in effect, existing vehicle owners over those who wish to buy a new vehicle. We have to strike a fair balance between the two groups and, therefore, are not inclined to extend such a concession to existing vehicle owners. Such a move could also give rise to more uncertainty over the supply and demand of COEs, and introduce more volatility into the prices, compared to the current situation where the validity period is fixed at five or 10 years. Page: 98”
“The Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act requires all motor vehicles, including private hire cars, to be insured against third-party liability risks. These include death or bodily injury to passengers and other road users. In addition, private hire cars are required to procure insurance that covers the use of the vehicle for hire and reward purposes, which is more than the basic coverage of third-party liability risks required of vehicles in general. This means that passengers in a private hire car who are involved in a motor accident can claim compensation from the owner of the private hire car or its insurer. It is an offence to use or permit a person to use a vehicle without the appropriate insurance. Those convicted are liable to a fine not exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both. The driver will also be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 12 months from the date of conviction.”
“The new public bus and rail financing models and the future Singapore-KL High Speed Rail will indeed, require new resources and capabilities on the part of LTA. LTA has increased its headcount steadily since 2013 by about 35%. This growth was largely in engineering and asset management. In the next two years, LTA will add another 900 new engineering positions. Second, LTA has been tapping the experiences of other jurisdictions. Amongst others, it has been studying the public transport tendering and contract management approaches used in the UK, Sweden, Australia and Germany. It has been in discussions with and conducted visits to the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway, Taipei Metro and London Underground to understand their asset management and maintenance processes. LTA has also established platforms, such as the Rail Excellence Advisory Panel and the High Speed Rail International Advisory Panel, so as to be able to discuss the issues directly with experienced practitioners who have faced similar challenges in their work abroad. Page: 97 Third, LTA has undergone reorganisation to be able to better deliver on its expanded mandate. Four new specialist teams have been formed a rail asset management team, a bus asset management team, a bus service tendering and contract team and a High Speed Rail group. As the projects progress, in particular, as and when there is further agreement with Malaysia on the High Speed Rail, LTA will further restructure and reorganise itself as needed.”
“The noise barriers installed along MRT tracks have reduced the noise level from passing trains by around five decibels. However, the installation of noise barriers incurs resources and takes up precious engineering hours that are needed for maintenance and improvement works. LTA is, therefore, focusing its attention on residential areas where the noise level exceeds NEA's recommended threshold of 67 decibels averaged over an hour. LTA is also working with train manufacturers and operators to mitigate noise in other ways. These include fitting trains with noise-dampening wheels; using ballast and concrete sleepers on the elevated tracks, which are better able to absorb vibration and noise compared to the concrete slab track used in the underground tunnels; and servicing train wheels and tracks even more frequently.”
“It is SMRT’s prerogative to take disciplinary action against its staff in accordance with its established procedures. However, as the Member has pointed out, investigations by LTA, MOM and Police are still ongoing. An argument can, therefore, be made that, in this case, it would have been better to wait till these investigations come to some conclusions. I note that NTWU has lodged an appeal on behalf of the two staff, and SMRT has convened an Appeal Panel to review the case. I am sure that the Panel will give full consideration to all the relevant factors and reach a fair decision. Page: 95”
“LTA has been implementing anti-slip coating on metal gratings at locations which the elderly and the young frequent, such as hospitals, Silver Zones and schools, and where the chances of slipping are higher, such as steep footpaths. We will progressively implement anti-slip coating at more locations.”
“As of end-August 2016, eight Silver Zones have been completed, out of the 50 that are planned by 2023. The next Silver Zone that will be completed at the end of this month is in Hougang. Silver Zones are implemented with the support of the community. Prior to implementation, LTA distributes flyers and notices to residents, conducts site walks with grassroots leaders, and erects banners and electronic signs to inform motorists of the impending changes. After completion, LTA continues to gather feedback from residents and monitors the traffic situation. There is strong support for the Silver Zone programme, even amongst motorists. This is not surprising because Silver Zones have been tremendously successful in reducing traffic accidents. For the eight locations where there are now Silver Zones, there were 48 accidents involving children and the elderly in the five-year period preceding implementation. Since the Silver Zones were implemented, the first zone two years ago, there has only been one such accident.”
“Bus captains are trained to pull up to within half a metre from the kerb at bus stops and to ensure commuters have alighted safely before moving off. To help them to do so, LTA is studying the feasibility of sensors that can detect the kerb and objects around the bus.”
“In accordance with the Companies Act, SMRT will be required to file its annual audited financial statements with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). Members of the public can obtain the information from ACRA.”