Flip to the "Home" section of The Straits Times, and you'll probably find reports on Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) in Singapore. Many Singaporeans have also written in to the forum to express their views on this issue. I would like to voice out my comments below.
The recent spike in the number of ERP gantries and the rise in ERP rates islandwide have led to a new round of heated debate on the usefulness and need of the ERP to "ease traffic congestion on major roads in Singapore", as termed by the transport ministry monitoring the roads in Singapore. Personally, I feel that ERP is a double-edged sword, with the stands for and against it both having their own convincing arguments.
The aim of the transport ministry setting up ERP is to alleviate the traffic jams often seen during the peak hours on major expressways and roads. With its implementation, city traffic has been slightly smoother. From another perspective, the main asset of the ERP is that it actually protects the environment. The taxing of vehicular usage by ERP, coupled with improvements to public transport, is likely to discourage people from driving their own cars, or even not give a thought to buying a car. These people will instead patronize the public transport services to get to their destinations. As a result, impact on the environment is lesser as there will be fewer vehicles on the road; vehicular emissions are a major source of air pollutants and the carbon dioxide given off will lead to global warming. Another advantage of using public transport frequently instead of driving is that citizens can save money.
However, public transport is less comfortable and slower than driving a personal car. Furthermore, some people's jobs require them to use their own cars. Take mu uncle as an example. His works as a salesman and needs to deliver here and there. It is not feasible for him to switch to using public transport. Imagine. It is so troublesome for him to carry heavy, bulky boxes of goods onto buses or MRT, and worse still, these public transport does not stop at his exact destination. Do you expect him to carry these goods to his customers' house on foot?
Also, it seems that traffic conditions have not improved much even after these rates increase and more ERP gantries. When traffic situations fail to change for the better, it probably means that more ERP gantries will be placed and charges will go up again, until the relevant authorities deem the traffic conditions "acceptable". This will hit hard on many people, such as the taxi drivers, who now avoid the Central Business District whenever possible. Some will rather wait till the ERP operating hours are over before they drive in these areas. The minute ERP gantries and not in operation, there is an influx in the number of vehicles on these roads. And then the price hike and extension of ERP operating hours. Do you think this is reasonable?
As far as I am concerned, ERP is unnecessary and neither is it the best way to solve the 'traffic gridlock' problem in Singapore.
First and foremost, Singapore is a small country. Moving from one place to another takes a much shorter time as compared to big cities in other countries. How bad can a traffic gridlock be?
Secondly, as the traffic network here is quite efficient, many motorists are automatically looking for alternatives to get to their destination, where there is lesser traffic. There is always the natural tendency for people to source for more convenient ways to go about doing things, so why do we still need ERP, when it's job is already done?
Also, I feel that the transport ministry should just look into the public transport system in Singapore and not focus on ERP too much. I firmly believe that if more priority is given to public transport, such as the recent effort of designating bus lanes to buses only on busy roads and at the same time, increasing the frequency of such buses, people are more than happy to switch to public transport.
Lastly, I would like to add that the MRT is a time-saving public transport as it avoids the traffic congestion on roads. However, there are a few downsides to it, such as overcrowding during peak hours and the lack of seats. If improvements are made to it, I am sure that more people will be willing to use the MRTs.
And that's all for my two cents' worth on ERP and public transport.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Democracy Creates Stability In A Society
Dear Ms Quah pls mark my blog assignment. I'm sorry but my computer was sent for repair yesterday. Thank you.
Most countries nowadays either have a democratic government system or have some characteristics of one. Democracy is a form of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised directly or representatively under a free electoral system. Democracy has its pros and cons, and can bring about stability in a society. This stability can be in the economic, social and political aspects of the society.
An important strength of democracy is that it always involves the community. The people can express their thoughts as long as it is legal and the government may look into it. Direct democracy is better, as it provides a way to repeal against legislation that is deemed to be bad, making way for better ones.
Another advantage of democracy is that the government will strive to make life better for all. For example, the
However, democracy may bring about problems too. For example, a downside in
Yet another problem is voter fatigue. In democratic societies, citizens can choose whether or not to vote. This will, however, lead to low turnout rates, for example when the issue is only related to some groups of people. Worse is when a major issue drags on for too long and people cannot be bothered to vote or know the outcome anymore. Low turnout rates may lead to lob-sided results and also protest votes, which may affect the general stability of the society.
All in all, I believe that the pros of democracy outweigh the cons, as long as the government is not corrupt and can satisfy the wants and needs of the all, if not the majority. However, it is key that voters make a wise option and not abuse their rights of voting, which may end up in an undesirable situation in which an incapable government is voted in. Citizens should also have foresight and cooperate with the government in many ways such as providing valuable information, and not add to the already demanding tasks of the government by bringing up irrelevant or trivial matters. Only if the conditions of having both good citizens and government are fulfilled, can democracy create stability in a society.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Issue on Teenage Computer Addiction
Dear Ms Quah, please assess me based on this issue and not the one on Mas Selamat. Thank you!
As Science and technology improve by the day, it is inevitable that most teenagers nowadays spend time in front of the computer for various purposes. They surf the internet to search for information and complete their assignments. Unfortunately, they also play games on-line and this is the downside of computer usage.
Recently, there is an increase in the number of reported teenage computer addiction in Singapore and this trend will continue as many highly addictive and fun games emerge daily. Many of those who play computer games excessively have falling grades and worse, they tend to isolate themselves from the 'outside world'. They are also restless and even angry when not allowed to use the computer or when not in front of the computer screen.
From a teenager's perspective, I feel that totally restricting the use of the computer is not possible, as teenagers, like everybody else, wants to have some freedom. However, it is of high importance that parents, together with the assistance of teachers, monitor closely to the teenagers when they are using the computer.
This problem is not only affecting Singapore, but it also pertains to numerous other countries worldwide. In some countries like the United States, majority of the teenagers are sedentary in front of the computer screen most of the time. To make matters worse, living in a country that allows the use of guns for certain purposes, these teenagers learn from their games and vent their anger by means of weapon violence. This had caused a number of fire-arm related deaths in schools there. One such incident is on April 16 last year, when a 23-year old English-major student massacred 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University, then shot himself.
This brings me to the point of how to prevent play from turning to pain. I am slightly relieved to know that many gaming centres here have installed monitoring system to allow staff members to know what users are doing and how long they have spent using the computer, in order to spot addiction before it gets out of hand. I trust that the staff members of these gaming centres are responsible and they will help to decrease the number of computer addictions here, while still allowing teenagers to have some recreation at these centres.
A classmate of mine used to be addicted to cybergaming too. He suffered the'usual' signs: sloppy work, failing grades, unknowingly isolating himself from his friends and pays no attention in class. I was concerned, but did not know what to do to help him. In the end, I approached my teacher and talked to her about it. My classmate was brought to the school counsellor soon after. Initially, it was difficult for him, but after a couple of months, he got rid of the addiction and was grateful to me that I had not let his obsession get out of hand. I hope that teenagers who notice that their classmates or friends are in a similar situation as my classmate will alert an adult and thus quickly cure the person of addiction.
Cybergaming can be a good servant or a bad master. As long as it is managed properly, it can bring about pleasure and may also improve the attention span of teenagers and even train their mind.
I usually confine my usage of computer to the weekends and seldom play games. I prefer sports and strongly believe that it can bring about the same, or even better, more benefits than cybergaming! Exercising brings me a lot of enjoyment and I also make a number of friends who have the same hobby! Don't you agree?
Whatever hobby teenagers may have, the key to it is moderation. Parents and teachers must always keep a look-out for signs of addiction in whatever activity a teenager engage in.
References:
http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?documentId=nica_ST_2003_2624684&year=2003&month=04&date=16
http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=01&year=2007&date=17&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2007_5481088
As Science and technology improve by the day, it is inevitable that most teenagers nowadays spend time in front of the computer for various purposes. They surf the internet to search for information and complete their assignments. Unfortunately, they also play games on-line and this is the downside of computer usage.
Recently, there is an increase in the number of reported teenage computer addiction in Singapore and this trend will continue as many highly addictive and fun games emerge daily. Many of those who play computer games excessively have falling grades and worse, they tend to isolate themselves from the 'outside world'. They are also restless and even angry when not allowed to use the computer or when not in front of the computer screen.
From a teenager's perspective, I feel that totally restricting the use of the computer is not possible, as teenagers, like everybody else, wants to have some freedom. However, it is of high importance that parents, together with the assistance of teachers, monitor closely to the teenagers when they are using the computer.
This problem is not only affecting Singapore, but it also pertains to numerous other countries worldwide. In some countries like the United States, majority of the teenagers are sedentary in front of the computer screen most of the time. To make matters worse, living in a country that allows the use of guns for certain purposes, these teenagers learn from their games and vent their anger by means of weapon violence. This had caused a number of fire-arm related deaths in schools there. One such incident is on April 16 last year, when a 23-year old English-major student massacred 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University, then shot himself.
This brings me to the point of how to prevent play from turning to pain. I am slightly relieved to know that many gaming centres here have installed monitoring system to allow staff members to know what users are doing and how long they have spent using the computer, in order to spot addiction before it gets out of hand. I trust that the staff members of these gaming centres are responsible and they will help to decrease the number of computer addictions here, while still allowing teenagers to have some recreation at these centres.
A classmate of mine used to be addicted to cybergaming too. He suffered the'usual' signs: sloppy work, failing grades, unknowingly isolating himself from his friends and pays no attention in class. I was concerned, but did not know what to do to help him. In the end, I approached my teacher and talked to her about it. My classmate was brought to the school counsellor soon after. Initially, it was difficult for him, but after a couple of months, he got rid of the addiction and was grateful to me that I had not let his obsession get out of hand. I hope that teenagers who notice that their classmates or friends are in a similar situation as my classmate will alert an adult and thus quickly cure the person of addiction.
Cybergaming can be a good servant or a bad master. As long as it is managed properly, it can bring about pleasure and may also improve the attention span of teenagers and even train their mind.
I usually confine my usage of computer to the weekends and seldom play games. I prefer sports and strongly believe that it can bring about the same, or even better, more benefits than cybergaming! Exercising brings me a lot of enjoyment and I also make a number of friends who have the same hobby! Don't you agree?
Whatever hobby teenagers may have, the key to it is moderation. Parents and teachers must always keep a look-out for signs of addiction in whatever activity a teenager engage in.
References:
http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?documentId=nica_ST_2003_2624684&year=2003&month=04&date=16
http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=01&year=2007&date=17&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2007_5481088
Saturday, March 1, 2008
A new blog created!
Hello again to my viewers,
Please go to my new blog at http://www.olympicchampion.blogspot.com/. It is a new blog, but please go there and write about your running experiences, tips, etc! I will update it soon.... Thanks for your patience in the mean time!
Please go to my new blog at http://www.olympicchampion.blogspot.com/. It is a new blog, but please go there and write about your running experiences, tips, etc! I will update it soon.... Thanks for your patience in the mean time!
Issue on the escape of JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari
~~ A security lapse at Whitley Detention Centre led to the escape of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Mas Selamat Kastari on Wednesday afternoon. It was reported that Mas Selamat was being taken to the toilet before a meeting at the Family Visit Room when he escaped. He is still at large. A massive force of Special Operations Command officers, gurkhas and police officers were deployed from Wednesday in the manhunt which followed. And as Thursday dawned, the effort continued, with army personnel as well. Security has been tightened at all land, sea and air checkpoints.~~
The escape of JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari made the headlines on Thursday morning. It was reported in the newpapers, the television, the radio, and many other media. It created an uproar and concern among most Singaporeans. Everybody is expressing their views, while some question about the time lag to inform the public.
International terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna described Mas Selamat, who had been detained under the Internal Security Act, as "the most ruthless of the Singapore JI members". Mas Selamat fled Singapore in December 2001 following an Internal Security Department operation against the JI network here. He was arrested in Bintan by the Indonesian authorities in 2003 and deported to Singapore two years ago. "His mindset is more Al Qaeda then JI. He had planned to hijack a plane from Bangkok and crash it into Changi. He presents an immediate danger to the security of Singapore and the region and must be captured," Dr Gunaratna, the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the Nanyang Technological University, told TODAY.
This is indeed a serious issue as having a terrorist at large poses a risk worldwide. Nobody wants a repeat of a devastating incident similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks. From Malaysia to Indonesia, security checks have been stepped up and the borders are on high alret. At home in Singapore, everybody is making concerted efforts to arrest the detainee under the Internal Security Act.
The manager of a petrol station at Whitley Road was reported as having told two Chinese evening newspapers, Lianhe Wanbao and Shin Min Daily, on Friday that he saw a man resembling the escaped detainee Mas Selamat about one hour after he bolted from the nearby detention centre, his co-worker also provided similar information. It is really commendable for them to render information to the police and I hope that more members of the public will continue to assist the police.
Globally, world police group Interpol has posted "Red Notice" alert for Kastari which allows a warrant to be circulated worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested with a view to extradition. I hope that this move will successfuly track down the detainee and lead to his arrest as soon as possible, without any injury, loss of life, or mishap.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/331726/1/.html
http://www.spf.gov.sg/
The escape of JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari made the headlines on Thursday morning. It was reported in the newpapers, the television, the radio, and many other media. It created an uproar and concern among most Singaporeans. Everybody is expressing their views, while some question about the time lag to inform the public.
International terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna described Mas Selamat, who had been detained under the Internal Security Act, as "the most ruthless of the Singapore JI members". Mas Selamat fled Singapore in December 2001 following an Internal Security Department operation against the JI network here. He was arrested in Bintan by the Indonesian authorities in 2003 and deported to Singapore two years ago. "His mindset is more Al Qaeda then JI. He had planned to hijack a plane from Bangkok and crash it into Changi. He presents an immediate danger to the security of Singapore and the region and must be captured," Dr Gunaratna, the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the Nanyang Technological University, told TODAY.
This is indeed a serious issue as having a terrorist at large poses a risk worldwide. Nobody wants a repeat of a devastating incident similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks. From Malaysia to Indonesia, security checks have been stepped up and the borders are on high alret. At home in Singapore, everybody is making concerted efforts to arrest the detainee under the Internal Security Act.
The manager of a petrol station at Whitley Road was reported as having told two Chinese evening newspapers, Lianhe Wanbao and Shin Min Daily, on Friday that he saw a man resembling the escaped detainee Mas Selamat about one hour after he bolted from the nearby detention centre, his co-worker also provided similar information. It is really commendable for them to render information to the police and I hope that more members of the public will continue to assist the police.
Globally, world police group Interpol has posted "Red Notice" alert for Kastari which allows a warrant to be circulated worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested with a view to extradition. I hope that this move will successfuly track down the detainee and lead to his arrest as soon as possible, without any injury, loss of life, or mishap.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/331726/1/.html
http://www.spf.gov.sg/
A warm welcome to my blog!
Hello to viewers of my blog!Let me make a short introduction of myself. I enjoy running competitively and take part in races in Singapore all year round. I like Biology and Chemistry very much.
However, this blog is meant for my English assignments where I will have to choose a particular issue to write about every term. Feel free to drop any comments and I will also try to create another blog based on my interest of running and Science, will add the link to this blog soon.
See ya!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
