Singapore ITS eyed to solve traffic woes

CEBU, Philippines - Could Singapore's Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) be soon implemented in Cebu? It could be time for Cebu to advance its traffic system technologically to solve its ever worsening traffic woes.

A Singaporean team recently conducted a presentation on ITS in Cebu and in Manila, which has been proposed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Glenn Soco, chair of the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council, told The FREEMAN the ITS presentation in Cebu was done during a special meeting of the IDC last January 18.

"It (The ITS) seeks to address traffic congestion by implementing systems to increase efficiency and regulation. Basically, what you see in Singapore in terms of traffic systems is the same that [is proposed] to happen here," said Soco, who is also president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said the Singaporean team is proposing to implement the ITS under the emergency powers sought by President Duterte to solve the worsening traffic problem in Manila, Cebu and other key cities.

He noted the IDC already submitted a position paper to the House Committee on Transportation concerning the emergency powers, where Cebu should be included.

According to the website of Singapore's Land Transport Authority, ITS is at the heart of what keeps city’s roads and tunnel systems safe.

"In land-scarce Singapore, ITS’ sophisticated traffic and control systems maximise road network efficiency capacity as well as monitor and manage traffic flow," LTA said, noting the ITS infrastructure spans over 164 km of expressways and road tunnel systems in the city-state.

According to Siemens AG, a German manufacturing and electronics company, Singapore's ITS "incorporates a range of 'smart' transportation technologies, including one of the world’s first Electronic Road Pricing Systems, real-time traffic information delivered through GPS-enabled taxis, and a highly integrated public transportation system."

"These intelligent solutions allow Singapore to enjoy one of the lowest congestion rates anywhere in the world for a city its size," Siemens said.

Siemens said Singapore has implemented a sophisticated ITS, which uses data collection and ITS solutions to keep road traffic running safely and smoothly.

The ITS acts in concert with a number of other transport initiatives: free public transportation in pre-morning peak hours, a vehicle quota system, a congestion charge, and an extensive public transport system. As part of ITS, the city has pioneered a variety of transport technologies, including one of the world’s first Electronic Road Pricing systems. The ERP acts as a de facto congestion charge. The ERP uses a short-range radio communication system to deduct charges from smart cards inserted in all vehicles, and charges varies according to traffic flows and the time of day," it said.

Other ITS elements include an expressway monitoring and advisory system, alerting motorists to traffic accidents on major roads; a GPS system installed on city taxis, which monitors and reports on traffic conditions around the city; and a parking policy in which the government determines the minimum parking provision and empowers car park operators to determine charges based on demand, Siemens also noted.

"Information from the systems feeds into the ITS Operations Control Centre, which consolidates the data and provides real-time traffic information to the public," it said.

While developing ITS, Siemens said the Singapore government convened public and private stakeholders to discuss Singapore’s many issues with land transport policy and to formulate the Land Transport Master Plan. (FREEMAN)