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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong

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Integrated public transport has received particular attention in recent years as a means to improve public transport services and reduce reliance on car travel. Cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong already have high modal shares in public transport (63% and 90% of all motorised trips, respectively). The high population densities in these cities naturally help promoting travel by public transport, but the high quality of transport services is also another key factor. High modal shares and good service levels still require extra effort to integrate the services across all modes. This paper describes the activities in integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong. These activities are in the form of physical, network, fare, information and institutional integration. The paper discusses the issues involved, including those related to an ageing population problem. In car-based Australian cities, improving public transport systems alone may not be effective in reducing car travel. The investment required to effect significant modal shift will be high. Apart from good public transport services, Singapore also relies on high car ownership and usage costs and Hong Kong on road congestion and car parking control to maintain a low car-ownership rate. The introduction of complementary measures such as more bus and transit lanes and even congestion pricing may be necessary to reduce car use in Australian cities.
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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong
Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
Integrated public
transport in
Singapore and
Hong Kong
James Luk and Piotr Olszewski
Invited Paper
This unrefereed paper is based on a presentation to
the Conference on Integrated Transport for Local
Communities, held by ARRB Transport Research in
Melbourne on 2-3 December, 2002. It is published
here with permission in the interests of information
dissemination, and as a contribution to policy and
technical discussions on integrated transport in
Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.
Abstract
Integrated public transport has received particular
attention in recent years as a means to improve public
transport services and reduce reliance on car travel.
Cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong already
have high modal shares in public transport (63% and
90% of all motorised trips, respectively). The high
population densities in these cities naturally help
promoting travel by public transport, but the high
quality of transport services is also another key factor.
High modal shares and good service levels still require
extra effort to integrate the services across all modes.
This paper describes the activities in integrated public
transport in Singapore and Hong Kong. These
activities are in the form of physical, network, fare,
information and institutional integration. The paper
discusses the issues involved, including those related
to an ageing population problem. In car-based
Australian cities, improving public transport systems
alone may not be effective in reducing car travel. The
investment required to effect significant modal shift
will be high. Apart from good public transport services,
Singapore also relies on high car ownership and
usage costs and Hong Kong on road congestion and
carparking control to maintain a low car-ownership
rate. The introduction of complementary measures
such as more bus and transit lanes and even congestion
pricing may be necessary to reduce car use in
Australian cities.
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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong
Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
INTRODUCTION
Singapore and Hong Kong are well-known for their
high modal shares in public transport trips. Singapore
has also successfully introduced congestion pricing
since 1975 to reduce car trips to the CBD and maintained
high car ownership costs to encourage transit usage
(Luk 1999). Hong Kong has a very high urban density
and is one of the few cities that can provide a good
return on investments in public transport systems
and its transit modal share is even higher than that of
Singapore. Table 1 summarises some of the basic
characteristics of Melbourne, Singapore and Hong
Kong with data compiled from year books and various
web sites (see References list at the end of the paper).
In recent years, integrated public transport has
received particular attention in Singapore and Hong
Kong as well as in many other cities. There is real effort
in improving the connectivity across transport modes
so that public transport becomes a viable alternative
to car travel, thus reducing road congestion, pollutant
emission and other externalities – an objective shared
by many large cities. Transport systems have not
usually begun from an integrated platform. They tend
to evolve over time as population increases, with rail
or tram lines radiating from the city centre. This paper
describes the measures that have recently been taken
to improve the integration of transport services in
Singapore and Hong Kong. These two cities are chosen
partly because the authors have lived in both cities for
some time and are familiar with the issues involved.
It is also because of the large investments by both
Governments in pursuing better service integration.
This paper begins with the definition of integrated
public transport and limits the scope of discussion to
the transport of passengers; freight transport is
excluded. It then identifies the five key measures for
transport integration. The Singapore experience is
used to illustrate the various measures. Hong Kong
has its own set of issues which are described in a
subsequent Section. A discussion of integrated public
transport in the context of an ageing population is
also provided.
MEASURES FOR INTEGRATED PUBLIC
TRANSPORT
The term ‘integrated public transport’ (or simply
‘integrated transport’) is generally defined as a system
that provides door-to-door public transport services
for passengers (Janic and Reggiani 2001). The term
‘intermodal transport’ is commonly used for the
transport of goods. There are as yet no standard
definitions of these terms. The objective of integrated
public transport is clear – to achieve a high transit
modal share with a seamless service using two or
more modes.
Measures for integrating transport services include
the following five broad categories (Luk and Olszewski
2001; Luk and Yang 2001; Konopatzki 2002):
(a) Physical integration – the close proximity and
ease of access at mode interchanges will greatly
enhance public transport services. Walkways
should be carefully designed for passengers to
Table 1
Some urban transport features of Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong
Characteristic Melbourne Singapore Hong Kong
Population (million) 3.5 4.16 6.79
Area (km2) 2025 685 1100
Population density (per km2) 1720 6075 6300
Private car ownership (/1000) 490 113 50
Public transport modal share
% of total motorised trips 9.5% 63% 90%
% of total pax-km (from Newman 8% 47% 82%
and Kenworthy 1999)
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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong
Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
change mode. Passengers should be within a
short walking distance from their residences to a
transit stop.
(b) Network integration – bus and rail systems
should be an integrated network in their own
right and these separate networks should further
complement one another. Feeder services using
buses, trams or light rail should be designed to
maximise the patronage of the trunk routes.
Network integration is closely linked to physical
integration and both contribute towards the
integration of infrastructure.
(c) Fare integration – a single fare card for multiple
transit services will facilitate the transfer between
modes. Rebates can be implemented as an
inducement for those who transfer from one mode
to another.
(d) Information integration – a comprehensive, easy-
to-use passenger travel guide is critical to
successful multi-modal travel. The signage at rail
and bus stations should be properly designed to
convey effective information to travellers.
Information Technologies (IT) and Intelligent
Transport Systems (ITS) can play important roles
in integrated transport in general and information
integration in particular.
(e) Institutional integration – a common institutional
framework is better able to undertake land-use
planning, travel demand management and
integrated public transport services. In the absence
of such common framework, cooperation and
coordination amongst government agencies, and
between the private and public sectors, become
vitally important.
The following Section describes how these measures
are being implemented in Singapore.
INTEGRATED MEASURES IN SINGAPORE
Singapore has a population of about 4.2 million and
an area of 685 km2. It has an effective pricing program
to manage traffic congestion. It is the home of the
world’s first Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) and the
subsequent Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system to
implement congestion pricing for traffic management.
Car ownership costs are also kept high through a
Vehicle Quota System and other ownership fees. The
quota for new vehicles per year is fixed at 3% of the
previous year’s vehicle population. The island-wide
transit modal share is high at 63% of all motorised
trips. The network of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and
Light Rail Transit (LRT) is going through fast
expansion. Table 2 shows the modal split in Year 2000
for all motorised trips.
The Government plans to continue investing in public
transport (especially rail) so that the modal split
increases to 75% of all motorised trips. The intent is to
achieve a comprehensive MRT network for the whole
island. Buses or LRT are to be used in the long term as
feeder services to the MRT and within-suburb travel.
The current rail transit system has 90 km (including
7.8 km of LRT). The short-term plan is to increase the
rail network to about 150 km by 2006 from the current
90 km. The rail projects committed for completion by
Table 2
Singapore island-wide daily modal split for motorised trips (Year 2000)
Motorised transport mode Daily person-trips Percentage
Rail (MRT and LRT) 1,100,000 14
Bus 3,080,000 41
Taxi 590,000 8
Car, motorcycle, goods
vehicle, private bus and ferries 2,800,000 37
Total 7,570,000 100
Source: Luk (1999) with updates
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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong
Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
2006 are shown in Table 3 (see Figure 1). The Government
currently provides the funding for the infrastructure
construction. The transit operator funds the rolling
stock, other mechanical and electrical system
replacement costs and the on-going operating cost.
Traditionally, the SBS Transit provided nearly all the
bus services in the island until the Trans-Island Bus
Services (TIBS) began operation in 1983. The Singapore
Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT Group) was given the task
to operate all heavy and light rail services. Due to the
continuing expansion of the transit networks and the
need for integration, the most recent institutional
framework is shown in Table 4. In 2002 TIBS was
merged with SMRT Group. As a result, there are now
two multi-modal operator groups.
Physical Integration
New transit stations are now designed to integrate
with commercial development and at least one other
transport mode (Tong 2002). The North-East Line,
which was opened in June 2003, has all its stations
well-integrated with adjacent activity centres. This
policy is a departure of the earlier MRT station design
– often separated from the nearby neighbourhood and
shopping area by a good 10 minutes’ walk on average.
The Senkang LRT and the Punggol LRT act as feeder
Table 3
New rail projects to be completed in Singapore by 2006
Project Type Length (km) Available by
Changi Airport Line MRT 6 Completed in 2002
North-East Line MRT 20 Completed in 2003
Circle Line: Phase 1 MRT 5.4 2006
Phase 2 MRT 5.6 2006
Senkang LRT 11 Partly completed in 2002
Punggol LRT 10 2004
Total 58
Source: Tong (2002); MRT = Mass Rapid Transit; LRT = Light Rail Transit
Figure 1
Rail projects in Singapore
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Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
services to the North-East Line and are integrated
with local neighbourhoods.
Existing MRT stations are upgraded to achieve better
integration. These include:
Woodland MRT/bus interchange;
Novena MRT station integrated with nearby
commercial development;
Dover MRT station with roadside bus stop; and
Toa Payoh MRT station with a relocated bus
interchange.
More attention is given to the architectural design of
new MRT stations from both the aesthetic and
accessibility points of view. Safe and easy walk paths
and elevators are now provided for all users, especially
for the ageing population and those on wheelchairs
(see Section on Issues Related to The Ageing
Population).
Network Integration
Network integration requires substantial funding and
takes time to achieve. The MRT network began with
three radial routes from the CBD, followed by the
Woodland extension in the north to connect two of the
three radial routes (Figure 1). The completion of the
North-East Line is expected to increase the percentage
of population within the catchment area (800 m from
a station) from 19% to 24% (Konopatzki 2002). The
construction of the Circle Line will further provide a
circumferential linkage of middle area suburbs.
These and other new proposals for MRT construction
will provide a better-integrated MRT network on its
own. However, the current daily volume of MRT/LRT
passengers is about 1.1 million compared with the 3
million bus passenger trips (Table 2). The catchment
area of the bus network is very extensive with 90% of
the population living within 300 m of a bus stop. The
bus network is currently the backbone of the public
transport services supporting about 41% of all
motorised trips.
With further investment in MRT/LRT, it is important
that the bus network and the rail network are properly
integrated. There are suggestions to use the bus (or
LRT) network only as a feeder service to MRT so that
there is less surface road congestion on arterial roads.
The MRT network is to provide the major share of the
long haul travel. In changing the role of the bus
network, it is important to ensure that current bus
users are not penalised with a walking distance
substantially longer than the current 300 m in order to
catch a train. The issue of network integration becomes
even more important if bus trunk routes are no longer
provided.
Table 4
Current public transport operators in Singapore
Operator Bus Mass Rapid Transit Light Rapid Transit
(MRT) (LRT)
SBS Transit 2500 buses on North East Line Senkang LRT
200 routes (opened in June 2003) Punggol LRT
(all in the north east
sector)
Singapore Mass North-South Line Bukit Panjang LRT
Rapid Transit East-West Line
(SMRT) Circle Line (under
construction)
Trans-Island 600 buses on
Bus Services 53 routes (mostly
(part of the SMRT in the north side)
Group)
Notes: these operators also provide other types of transport services both in Singapore and overseas
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Fare Integration
A single fare card usable on all public transport
modes greatly facilitates integrated transport.
Singapore introduced a magnetic stripe, stored-value
TransitLink fare card in 1990 for bus/rail travel. A
contactless smart card, called the EZ Card, was
introduced in 2002 as a common fare card for all bus,
MRT and LRT services. The EZ card project was
designed by the same company (the ERG Group of
Australia) that implemented the Hong Kong Octopus
Card (contactless) and the Melbourne Metcard
(magnetic stripe). Other applications suitable for the
EZ card include park-and-ride and small retail
purchases.
The impacts of such a system are efficiency gain and
operating cost reduction. In a trial study on the use of
the EZ Card, the boarding time of a bus was found to
decrease by 62% compared with cash payment, and
34% compared with magnetic transit cards. In Hong
Kong, it was also found that the cost of coin collection
and counting was about 8% of the revenue and this
cost has been substantially reduced. Each day’s taking
can now be reconciled within 24 hours instead of the
usual three-day delay when cash constituted a
significant portion of the revenue.
With a single fare card, it is also easy to encourage
using public transport by introducing rebates for
intermodal transfer. Using the EZ card and the earlier
TransitLink card, a rebate of up to S$0.25 is given to an
individual passenger who transfers from an MRT
station to a bus within 30 minutes. Fare integration
and rebates are powerful tools to achieve a high
transit modal share.
Information Integration
A service company, TransitLink, was formed in 1989
to produce a transit travel guide and coordinate transit
travel information such as routes, timetables and
multi-modal data at interchanges. The TransitLink
Guide provides coordinated and comprehensive
information on all aspects of travelling on bus, MRT
and LRT in a single book. It is updated every year and
remains in use today. An electronic version is also
available through the Internet.
With an expanding MRT/LRT network, it becomes
necessary to employ a good signage system to facilitate
multi-modal travel. New colour coding for MRT/LRT
lines has recently been introduced. Each MRT/LRT
station employs consistent new alphanumeric codes.
The signage system will also be progressively extended
to bus interchanges, bus stop and taxi stands. It
provides a consistent identity for all public transport
modes.
In future, real-time information could be provided
through an 'i-Transport platform'. This is an IT
platform that integrates traffic information from road-
based ITS measures (signal system, freeway
monitoring system, road pricing system) and transit-
based measures (GPS-equipped taxis and buses, MRT/
LRT locations). A traveller would be able to use this
real-time information to make decisions on modal
choices, trip start times and route planning.
Institutional Integration
The formation of a service company such as
TransitLink in 1989 was a first step towards
institutional integration. In 1995 the Land Transport
Authority was formed which combined the functions
of a planning agency and regulatory body for both
public and private transport. The publication of its
White Paper (Land Transport Authority 1996)
outlining the policy of promoting public transport
was a major milestone.
The process of institutional integration takes many
years, in Singapore as in many other cities. Singapore
began with a large number of small private bus
companies. As shown in Table 4, the latest institutional
integration takes the form of two key operators: SBS
Transit operating the North-East Line, the Senkang
and Punggol LRT’s (also in the north-east sector of the
island), and the majority of island-wide bus services.
The other operator is the SMRT Group, which has
most of the MRT lines: North-South Line, East-West
Line, the Circle Line that is under construction, and
the Bukit Panjang LRT Line in the north-west sector.
Another bus company, TIBS, operating on the north
side of the island, is now part of the SMRT Group.
There is some overlap of the bus networks of SBS
Transit and TIBS and hence some competition. The
rail networks are quite well segregated geographically.
Each operator is thus in a good position to provide
integrated services within its designated territory.
THE HONG KONG EXPERIENCE
Car-ownership in Hong Kong is very low at 50 cars per
thousand population, and the public transport systems
account for 90% of motorised trips. Table 5 shows the
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modal splits of different public transport systems in
Hong Kong. The two major issues facing the city are
road congestion and air quality. The high congestion
in the road network together with good public transport
systems are the key factors that keep car-ownership low
in Hong Kong (Cullinane and Cullinane 2003). The
Government is implementing a plan to increase the
railway network from 150 km to 200 km by 2007. There
is also a plan to invest more in rail such that the rail
modal share increases from around 30% to 45% by 2016
(Hong Kong Government 2003).
Hong Kong has a private sector driven economy and
productivity gain is achieved through competition,
which goes against the ideal of integrated transport.
Hong Kong has a long history of private transit
operators, with many modes available to the
population. Its high density provides easy physical
integration and most of the Mass Transit Railway
(MTR) stations are well-integrated with activity centres
and local neighbourhoods.
Apart from the implementation of the very popular
Octopus integrated fare collection system since 1997,
the Government has focussed on infrastructure
investments to facilitate integration. The investments
are in more and better modal interchanges, and extra
heavy and light rail routes. Some recent projects on
transport integration include (Figure 2) —
Extension of the southern terminal of the East
Rail (which connects Kowloon to China in the
north) by 1.6 km to facilitate interchange with the
MTR station at Tsim Sha Tsui (see Figure 3);
New crossing to China with the construction of
the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line off the East Rail;
Construction of the West Rail and better
integration with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in
the west side of New Territories; and
Construction of the Ma On Shan (medium) rail to
the Shatin Station of the East Rail.
The local regulatory authority is the Hong Kong
Transport Department. It has recently initiated the
Study on Coordination of Other Public Transport
Services with New Railways (SCOPTS) to increase the
rail modal share. The study has recommended some
Table 5
Public transport modal share in Hong Kong (2001 data)
Mode Types Daily passengers %
Railways East Rail (also 800,000 7.4%
known as Kowloon-
Canton Railway)
Mass Transit Railway 2,200,000 20.4%
(MTR)
Airport Express 25,000 0.2%
Buses Franchised buses 4,166,000 38.6%
Minibuses 1,632,000 15.1%
Taxis Taxis 1,313,000 12.2%
Light Rail Trams (HK Island) 240,000 2.2%
Light Rail Transit in 319,000 3.0%
New Territories
Peak Tram 9,600 0.1%
Ferries Ferries 93,200 0.9%
Total 10,797,800 100.0%
Source: Hong Kong Government (2002)
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Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong
Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
reductions in bus services (Yan et al. 2001) and the
issue of the subsequent increase of the walk distances
of current bus users needs to be addressed. Other
issues are:
Each transport mode should be well integrated
with the current land-use development.
Figure 3
Extension of East Rail in Hong Kong by 1.5 km for transport
integration (Source: adapted from Yan et al. 2001)
The marginal benefit of integrated public
transport in Hong Kong is not obvious and may
be small.
Better modal interchanges and information
integration are the key measures that benefit the
public in the local context.
There is lack of space for park-and-ride facilities
for bicycles.
From surveys reported in Cullinane and Cullinane
(2003), the aspiration to own cars amongst the younger
population in Hong Kong is quite high. In view of the
excellent public transport services, heavy road
congestion and high carparking charges, this finding
provides some policy directions for Australian cities.
Improving public transport services (and
incorporating transport integration) is a step in the
right direction. However, experiences have shown
that the investment cost would be high and the effect
in increasing transit modal share could be small (Luk
2003). Complementary measures to reduce car
ownership and usage are necessary, e.g. high car
ownership and usage costs in Singapore and limited
carparking facilities and road capacities in Hong
Kong. Note that both cities have extensive provision
of bus lanes, which effectively increase congestion to
car users and reduce delay for bus travellers.
Figure 2
Rail projects in
Hong Kong
(Source: adapted
from Yan et al.
2001)
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Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
ISSUES RELATED TO THE AGEING
POPULATION
The demographic structure in Singapore and Hong
Kong, as in other urban areas, is changing – people
live longer and the proportions of those over 65 are
increasing rapidly. This ageing population
phenomenon has important implications on the future
transport systems in cities. The rapidly growing
numbers of senior citizens will require special attention
and improved public transport facilities. Mobility is
now considered to be an aspect of the quality of life for
the elderly (Olszewski 2001). While people over 65
generally tend to make fewer and shorter trips, the
new generations now entering the retirement age have
higher aspirations for leading an active lifestyle.
The proportion of those 65+ now ranges between 12%
and 17% in industrialised countries. As birth rates are
low and people live longer, the proportion of the
elderly will keep increasing. Long-term projections
talk about 1/3 of the population being over 65 in fifty
years in several countries (ECMT 1999).
Singapore, which now has only 7.3% of people over
65, will be catching up fast. While the total resident
population is expected to increase by only 12%, the
numbers of the elderly (65+) are likely to grow almost
four times (from 240,000 to 930,000 in 2030). The
demand for travel by the over-60 age group is likely to
increase between 4.2 and 5.7 times, depending on
assumptions about the future car ownership and trip
rates. The share of the over-60 group in total travel
demand is likely to increase from the present 6% to
between 21% and 25% (Olszewski 2001).
Very few elderly in Asian cities will have access to
cars, either for economic reasons or due to the lack of
driving ability. They will be more dependent on
public transport services to satisfy their mobility needs,
particularly in Singapore where restrictive policies
on car ownership are currently in place.
In recent years there have been significant advances
in many countries in improving public transport
accessibility for the elderly in terms of legislation,
vehicle technology and infrastructure design (ECMT
1999). Some progress has also been made in Singapore.
While the MRT stations built before 2000 have no lift
access to platforms, the new LRT line and two recently
opened MRT stations have lifts and a proper
wheelchair access. There are plans to gradually
improve accessibility at the existing stations.
While the moves towards greater transport integration
are generally resulting in improved quality of service,
care must be taken to make the integrated system more
accessible and suitable for the elderly.
Accommodating the needs of these passengers should
involve the following types of facilities.
Interchanges
Interchanges between urban transport modes,
terminals and stations are the locations where most
barriers exist. Especially old facilities often constitute
insurmountable obstacles for older travellers. Old
infrastructure should be re-designed with proper
accessibility standards whenever renovation works
are carried out. The desirable interchange features are:
lifts, ramps, better stairs and escalators, reduced gap
between platform and train/vehicle, and tactile floors.
When designing new interchanges, the aim should be
to minimise the impedance associated with the
transfers. Specifically, interchanges should be designed
so as to reduce walking distances, effort to negotiate
stairs and ramps, and time between arriving and
departure. In addition, elderly-friendly interchanges
should have ancillary facilities (i.e. accessible toilets,
convenience shops, etc.), be secure, well-lit and
protected from the weather, and provide very good
information.
Pedestrian Environment
A major difficulty for the older people is in getting to and
from bus stops and stations. As every trip begins and
ends on foot, walking should be properly integrated as
one of the transport modes in the travel chain. Footpaths
leading to bus stops should be given special attention
and priority treatment. The design of footpaths, road
crossings and pedestrianised areas should aim to create
a stepless walkway environment.
Information Systems and Technology
A coordinated approach is needed to provide network-
wide information at the trip planning stage. In addition
to good information on connections and timetables,
people with disabilities need information on
accessibility features such as lifts, accessible vehicles,
toilets at stations, etc.
The information should be clear, concise, accurate and
timely. The presentation format is equally important: for
visual information, there are guidelines on legibility,
high contrast, colours, etc. New information technology
holds promise to improve information content and
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Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
delivery. The European TELSCAN Project (Naniopoulos
2001) has produced a database and guidelines on
application of ITS for the benefit of older travellers. One
example is the application of smart cards which can
increase usability of ticketing machines and information
terminals. A smart card with data on specific user
impairments and preferences can generate a system
request to allow for more time, large character display,
audio messages, etc.
CONCLUSIONS
This paper has reviewed the activities and issues related
to integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong
Kong. In both cities, as in most other cities, the public
transport systems have not developed from a common
platform. The integration of these services could only
happen with real, strategic effort and at a high level of
cooperation amongst transport agencies and operators.
Singapore has demonstrated a systematic approach in
implementing a package of measures for multi-modal
travel, and has the benefit of a relatively new public
transport infrastructure (the MRT and LRT) and the
funding available from the Government. Hong Kong,
on the other hand, benefits from its high density and the
close proximity of the population to the many public
transport systems available. Its transport infrastructure
is already well-integrated with land-use development
but will still benefit from better designed interchanges.
Both cities have to pay attention to the role of the bus
network in the promotion of rail travel. Another area of
attention is the needs of the ageing population in an
integrated public transport system. Integration takes
time and money. A cost-effective measure in the short
term is information integration – in the form of better
signage, easy-to-use transit guide both in printed form
and via the Internet.
There is uncertainty regarding how far public transport
services should be improved in order to be effective in
reducing car use. The investment required to effect
significant modal shift (e.g. to rail) may be quite high.
Apart from good public transport services, Singapore
also relies on high car ownership and usage costs and
Hong Kong on road congestion and carparking control
to maintain a low car-ownership rate. In car-based
Australian cities, improving public transport systems
alone may not be effective in reducing car travel. The
introduction of complementary measures such as more
bus and transit lanes and even congestion pricing may
be necessary.
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51
Integrated public transport in Singapore and Hong Kong
Vol 12 No 4 December 2003 Road & Transport Research
James Luk
Dr James Luk has academic degrees in electronics and traffic engineering. He joined
ARRB in 1975 to undertake research in traffic control and was a Chief Scientist before
taking up an academic position with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
from 1998 to 2002. He has rejoined ARRB since July 2002, and is also an Adjunct Professor
with the Queensland University of Technology in the School of Civil Engineering.
Piotr Olszewski
Dr Piotr Olszewski has obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in highway engineering
from the Warsaw University of Technology. After working in an environmental planning
research institute in Poland, in 1981 he joined Nanyang Technological University in
Singapore, where he is now Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. Dr Olszewski is teaching courses in the area of transportation engineering
and logistics. His research interests include modelling of transportation systems, traffic
flow theory, travel behaviour and transport logistics.
Contact
James Luk
ARRB Transport Research Ltd
Email: jamesl@arrb.com.au
Tel: (03) 9881 1531
Piotr Olszewski
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Email: colsze@ntu.edu.sg
... У науковій та практичної літературі зазначається, що вимоги клієнтури в сучасних умовах найбільш ефективно задовольняються на основі створення логістичних систем, де дії всіх учасників операції з транспортування, а також всі супутні операції виконуються як єдине ціле на основі принципів системного підходу. Узгодженість дій та інтересів усіх учасників логістичних систем забезпечує розробку оптимальних маршрутів, графіків, способів доставки, ефективне 89 використання транспортних засобів, економію часу, грошей та інших ресурсів [1][2][3]. ...
... Consideration must however be given to the difference between Hong Kong, Singapore and Western countries regarding the extent of development of the public transport system. Both Hong Kong and Singapore have highly robust public transport systems with high modal shares [65]. Caution must therefore be taken when attempting to translate conclusions from studies conducted in western countries to the setting of Hong Kong and Singapore [66,67]. ...
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This study explored the local food environment of Hong Kong and Singapore using a qualitative case study approach to inform future upstream public health nutrition policies. Food outlets that provide food to be eaten in the home were mapped in selected areas of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) of Hong Kong and Singapore. Food outlet density relative to land area was determined. In both countries, lower SES areas surveyed were shown to have higher food outlet density while higher SES areas had fewer but larger food outlets. In Hong Kong, both SES areas reported similar proportions of healthy and unhealthy food outlets. This study highlights the accessibility of food outlet types through their geographical location and density. Future research assessing the differences in eating culture between these two countries should be considered alongside this study’s findings, to investigate strategies influencing the food environment in order to promote healthier eating habits.
... Intermodal passenger transport involves several categories, namely facility network, route network, organization network and demand network [15][16][17]. ...
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Full-text available
Public transport in South Africa comprises of three main modes of transport, trains, buses, and minibus taxis. Besides being informal and not financially supported by the government, minibus taxis are the most commonly used mode of public transport. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and related pieces of legislation assign the roles and functions of public transport between the three spheres of government. Municipalities have a key role to play in achieving seamless integration of all modes of public transport to bridge the gap of the legacy of social segregation and to ultimately ensure that all forms of public transport are accessible to everyone. While the Rea Vaya BRT system can advance the quality of life by making places of work more accessible in urban areas, secondary data analysis reveals that it is failing to serve the working class in the lower income distribution bracket , who spend approximately 40% of their income on public transport. The chapter recommends some degree of formalit
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Full-text available
Abstract. Doha the capital city of Qatar experienced a transformational shift in the past two decades. This was as a consequence of diverse economic development, the hosting of international events, and rapid population growth. All of these circumstances generated serious traffic congestion due to the increase in the number of private cars. Therefore, it was crucial to develop a smart Public Transportation (PT) system to comply with Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 and by implementing Transport Master Plan for Qatar (TMPQ) 2006-2026. The TMPQ included the introduction of Doha metro, extensive expansion of the bus network, and infrastructure advancement. The prior public transportation system before the introduction of Doha metro has numerous deficiencies such as timetable reliability, fare and ticket integration, access to trip planning information, network coverage, and service frequency. QNV 2030 aims to turn Qatar into a smart country sustaining smart transportation and this can be achieved of all PT systems are integrated together. The objective of this paper is to examine the level of integration between the newly developed PT systems. The research was approached by interviewing key planners and engineers in the governmental authorities and by reviewing the Qatar Interim Bus Action Plan 2014 - 2020 and the Qatar Rail Development Project. The outcomes of this research paper revealed that the development plans demonstrate a high level of integration in PT services -- including, networking, physical infrastructure, fares and ticketing, and information systems -- that can be expected to lead to a system of high quality.
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Full-text available
This paper presents an overview of some recent developments in and policy issues relating to integrated transport systems in the European Union (EU). Both goods and passenger transport systems are considered in the context of actions recently undertaken and supported by the EU. The paper considers the very general background of these systems at the EU scale and offers insights into some recent successful and promising policy, real-life, and research attainments. In addition, it attempts to identify some directions for future actions in fields such as transport policy, transport technology, transport economics and transport scenarios.
Article
Full-text available
Reducing car traffic to improve transport sustainability has become a major goal of transport policy. This is also the case in Hong Kong where car ownership and use is, by international standards, very low. The objectives here are first to determine why people own cars in Hong Kong, second to explore how dependent car owners are on their cars and third to identify the policy implications. Based on a survey of 401 car owners, the finding is that despite the existence of excellent public transport, once a car has been acquired, people become dependent on it for virtually all journey purposes. To achieve greater sustainability, therefore, car ownership and use must be controlled.
Article
Electronic road pricing (ERP) became operational in Singapore in September 1998. It replaces the manual congestion pricing schemes in the CBD and expressways. This paper outlines the key events in the development of congestion pricing since June 1975. It describes other pricing measures to manage road travel demand. These are the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) and the Vehicle Quota System (VQS) for new vehicles. The revenue from congestion pricing is about S0.1billionperyearandthatfromVQSisaboutS0.1 billion per year and that from VQS is about S1.5 billion per year (A1≈S1.10 in May 1999). This paper also derives some price elasticity values with respect to congestion tolls from empirical data. Congestion pricing appears to be twice as effective as petrol price increases in reducing car travel, and would be only similar to petrol price in inducing mode shift to public transport. The balancing of fixed costs imposed on motorists, such as the VQS premium and registration fees, and usage costs such as congestion tolls is a complex issue. ERP tolls would have to be much higher than the current toll rates if they are to replace VQS completely and maintain the same total revenue.
Article
This paper addresses the issue of managing car-travel demand in large urban centers and reviews two instruments-urban form changes and public transport improvements-by drawing on the experience of Australian cities. Urban form changes can be achieved by higher population and employment densities. At a city or broad zonal level, the reviews show that higher densities of population and employment lead to lower levels of travel and car use. However, the linkage between urban form changes can be a complex and indirect process at a less aggregate level. Large changes in the urban form may be necessary to produce small changes in car and transit usage. This study also shows that new rail transit investments in the cities of Perth and Gold Coast were only able to reduce car use in the same transport corridor by a small percentage. A significant proportion of the rail users were previous bus users. There is no quick fix to the urban transport problems confronting large cities, and the solution will need political will to implement a package of long and short-term measures.
Article
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have a wide range of applications. They range from the more traditional signal coordination system to concepts such as smart cars and smart roads. This paper describes transit-based ITS measures in Singapore. The island-state has plans to double the current 90 km rail network over the next ten years and has also implemented or committed to implement many ITS initiatives that impact upon the public transport systems. The aim of these investments is to achieve a high transit modal share using a comprehensive transit network. ITS measures that can promote this aim include: automatic vehicle location systems for buses and taxis, integrated transit fare systems using contactless smart cards, rail information systems, multi-modal travel guides on Internet and electronic road pricing. The potential impacts of these measures are delay reduction, more comfort, productivity gain and better network accessibility. ITS measures do not necessarily add physical capacity to a public transport system but are excellent supporting measures to encourage the modal shift to transit, particularly if a quality transit system is already in place.
Accessible and usable for all transport telematic systems – the TELSCAN systems approach and main results Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence
  • A Newman
NANIOPOULOS, A. (2001). Accessible and usable for all transport telematic systems – the TELSCAN systems approach and main results, Proc. 9 th Int. Conf. on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled People, Warsaw, Vol. 1, pp. 113-122, webpage: http://hermes.civil.auth.gr/ telscan/telsc.html NEWMAN, P. and KENWORTHY, J. (1999). Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence, Island Press, Washington D.C.
  • Singapore
November 15-16, 2001, Singapore. (also published in Journal of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, 42(3), pp. 37-41).
Integrated transport: a case study on the KCR East Rail in Hong Kong
  • A Lai
YAN, A., LAI, S. and HO, J. (2001). Integrated transport: a case study on the KCR East Rail in Hong Kong, Proc. Workshop on Integrated Transport, UITP Asia Pacific Division, November 15-16, 2001, Singapore.
White Paper: A World Class Land Transport System
  • Land
  • Authority
LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY (1996). White Paper: A World Class Land Transport System, LTA, Singapore.