Thursday, November 15, 2007

LTA Review - Nov 5

Transport experts rev up LTA policies
By Tracy Sua

A PANEL of international transport advisers has been appointed to help the Land Transport Authority with its policies and strategies and to keep it updated on global transport trends.
The six-member panel includes internationally recognised transport experts from Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, the United States and Britain.

Its first three-day meeting, which ended on Wednesday, was chaired by Transport Minister Raymond Lim.

It focused on land transport challenges in the next 10 to 15 years.

Mr Lim said: 'The inputs from the members will go towards shaping the key ideas for Singapore's next phase of land transport development.'

Professor Tony Ridley, Emeritus Professor of Transport Engineering at London's Imperial College, said that while Singapore's transport policies are successful and well regarded internationally, 'it now faces severe challenges because of increasing population, affluence and accessibility needs within the constraints of a small island country.'

President of the Institute for Transport Policy Studies in Japan Professor Shigeru Morichi said: 'One of Singapore's strengths is its coordination between transport and land-use strategy, between car ownership policy and public transport policy and between MRT, LRT and the bus system.

'For better efficiency of public transport operators, the introduction of more competition within the industry might be useful

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