International Symposium on Road Pricing 2003 Evaluation of

International Symposium on Road Pricing 2003 Evaluation of Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) System (1998 - present) A P G Menon MSI Global Pte Ltd

Singapore n Area 650 sq km o Road length 3800 km o Vehicles 705, 000 o Car: population ratio 1 : 10 o Modal split (% age) 65: 35 work trips 52: 48 all trips o Veh speeds 25 -30 kph city 45 -60 kph expressways

Electronic Road Pricing o Aim is to charge vehicles for the use of the road at times and at places of congestion o For congestion management o Not for raising revenue o Every entry or pass under a control point is automatically charged a fee

Number of Control points City Expressways & ERP overhead gantries Operation hours (7. 2 sq. km) 28 (a cordon around the city) 7: 30 am 7: 00 pm on weekdays other major roads 14 congested locations 7: 30 am – 9: 30 am on weekdays

ERP Gantry at control point

Types of Invehicle Units (IU) o Colour-coded for different types of vehicles o Uses passenger car unit (pcu) for fixing charges o Car = 1 pcu, Motorcycle = 0. 5 pcu, Truck = 1. 5 pcu , Bus = 2 pcu

Cash. Cards (for payment) o. A pre-paid stored value ic chip card managed by a consortium of local banks o Top-up cash at Automated Teller Machines and petrol stations

ERP Control Centre o 24 -hour monitoring of street equipment o Settlement of financial transactions with Cash. Card provider at end of each day o Processing of violations and errors

Simple Instructions for Motorists o At start of journey, insert Cash. Card into the IU (fixed permanently and powered by vehicle battery). This does a health check of IU and Cash. Card. o On going under the ERP gantries, the cash balance after ERP charge deduction is shown on IU display for 10 secs.

How does ERP work? Central Computer System Comms. Controller 1 st Antenna Controller In-vehicle Unit AVID Controller ECS Site Controller Local Controller Housing Detector 2 nd Antenna Controller

How does it work? Central Computer System Comms. Controller Local Controller Housing AVID Controller Antenna Controller ECS Site Controller Detector Controller In-vehicle Unit Detector Controller Antenna Controller

How does it work? Central Computer System Comms. Controller Local Controller Housing AVID Controller Antenna Controller ECS Site Controller Detector Controller Antenna Controller

Choices offered by ERP Pay and enjoy good ride n Change time to pay less/nothing n Change route to non-priced roads n Change mode n Change destination n Abandon trip n

Business Model Capital cost: S$197 million (1998) o Annual Operating cost: S$16 m o Annual Revenue: S$80 m o Manpower: 30 staff for operations 35 dedicated staff for maintenance o (US $1 = S $1. 76)

Violations & Errors Monthly ERP transactions 6 million n Daily Violations - 5 per 1, 000 transactions n u No IUs - Fine of S$70 u No Cash. Cards - Administrative Charge of S$10 n Daily Errors - 5 per 10, 000 transactions u No fines. Motorists asked to have IUs inspected and Cash. Cards checked u A third are human errors

Adjustment of ERP charges (in half-hour slots) o Balance between congestion and usage o Review charges at 3 -monthly intervals o From 50 cents to S$3. 00 per pass/entry 45 kph Expressways Increase 20 kph 65 kph Decrease 30 kph City&Other Roads

Motorist’s Issues How reliable is technology? o IU not sufficiently user-friendly o Cap maximum ERP fee per day o Request for centralised monthly bills (instead of paying each time) o Exemption for motorcycles o Do not extend coverage of ERP o Tracking movements? o

Ramifications Better traffic flow with good speeds o A shift towards public transport o Motorcyclists affected more by price o Rush at pre- and post-ERP periods o Rush on non-priced alternative roads o Loitering ahead of ERP gantries at fee change-over times o

Lessons o Sell road pricing as a part of a total transportation package o Use proven technology o Make it simple and publicise o Safeguards to prevent tracking o Logical method to change rates o Provide convenient alternatives o Make provisions foreign vehicles o Road pricing is viable

Thank you