By Maria Almenoar

When a new set of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries begin operation, a chorus of complaints is heard and jokes - ERP gantries drawn above lift doors - are circulated freely on the Internet.

But the reality is that more Singaporeans now believe that this means of congestion control actually gives them a smoother ride to work.

This was one of the key findings of a survey of 319 motorists over a two-week period in October this year.

Conducted by the Singapore Press Holdings' research department, the survey covered motorists of different ages and with varying household incomes and education levels.

A similar survey of 295 motorists was done during the same period last year.

What has changed in the last year is that 11 new gantries have gone up, bringing the total to 66 islandwide. This includes five new ones in the heartlands. Many ERP charges have also been increased.

Of the drivers who felt congestion had eased on priced roads, more than half (57%) felt they had saved 15 minutes or more on the road as well.

In fact, drivers seem so convinced of road pricing that more of them are willing to shell out on higher fees, to get even smoother roads.

Experts say the signs that the ERP is working are that motorists are changing their travelling patterns and feeling that congestion has eased.

ERP has helped ease congestion

Property executive John Lee travels from his Sengkang home to the city at 7.35am every morning. He pays $6.50 in ERP charges to save a few minutes every day.

Mr Lee, 35, said: 'Generally, I feel the ERP has helped ease congestion on the CTE. It has taken me less time to travel to my workplace in the last two months.'

So why are motorists feeling less penned in on the roads?

Survey results point to several factors.

First, more motorists are setting off at different times, leading to a more even distribution on the roads during the morning peak hours.

Some 42% of motorists now leave for work before 7.30am - before ERP charges kick in - compared to 34% last year.

Another 19% leave between 7.30am and 8am, just one percentage point higher than last year's.

Said Professor Terence Fan, who specialises in transport economics at the Singapore Management University (SMU): 'It is encouraging to see that the 'peaks' of travel times are slowly starting to flatten out and there's a more equal distribution of travel patterns.'

One motorist who has changed his travel routine is civil servant Daniel Seet. He now starts for work an hour earlier to avoid a new Pan-Island Expressway gantry near Eunos which would add an extra $1 on his trip from Tampines to Novena.

'I have to time myself such that I reach the Eunos gantry before 7am, and the second gantry at Kallang Bahru before 7.30am,' he said.

And setting off earlier to work may not be such a bad thing, said Government Parliamentary Committee deputy chairman Ong Kian Min. 'Compared to their counterparts in countries like Australia and Switzerland, Singapore workers start work later and end later,' he said.

A second intended change effected by ERP is that some motorists are opting for a different route.

Some 12.6 per cent of motorists who pass by ERP gantries have taken an alternative route.

Though the proportion of motorists who changed their driving habits has actually dropped from 29.8% to 26% this year, experts said it is enough to effect a significant change on the road.

And this is the case even though a smaller proportion of motorists - 1.4% - have switched to public transport compared with 2.21% last year.

Prof Fan said: 'All that is needed each time is to squeeze out 5 to 10% of people and this will help to significantly smooth the ride of the other people.'

And it looks as though more 'squeezing' could well be done.

The proportion of drivers who are willing to pay higher ERP charges for a smooth ride rose from 23.7% last year to 32% this year.

National University of Singapore's Associate Professor Lee Der-Horng from the Centre of Transportation Studies said: 'Since more drivers seem to acknowledge the benefit brought by ERP, then this may be a hint that there is room to take up more aggressive ERP rates to further enhance the road traffic conditions.'

mariaa@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Dec 15, 2008.

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