Fwah Moment: 2nd Generation Satellite ERP System in the future??? WTF!

Drizzt:

Ok I came back home from work to see this ridiculous article from Channelnewsasia:

The Land Transport Authority will soon be calling for a tender to invite industry players to submit technical proposals for a second generation ERP system.
One of the key technologies identified is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) which makes use of satellites to determine the position of a vehicle.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the LTA will be conducting various technical tests to evaluate if the latest technologies available in the market today are accurate and effective enough for use as a congestion charging tool, especially taking into consideration the dense urban environment in Singapore.

Drizzt:

Ok so what is so deficient about the current ERP system? Is it they are not bringing enough revenues for the government?

Is it because it takes too much effort to put up gantries all over singapore?

However, he added that the development and testing of new ERP technologies that are suitable for Singapore’s conditions could take some years before it is ready to be launched and implemented.

Speaking at the World Urban Transport Leaders Summit 2010 being held at Singapore’s Suntec Convention City Centre, Mr Lim pointed out since being implemented in 1998, the gantry-based system Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system has served well.

However, as the number of vehicles on Singapore roads increases over the longer term, congestion will become more extensive and it may become impractical to continue installing ever more physical gantries to manage congestion.

Drizzt:

Ok so how many of you think that this ERP system is actually funneling and optimizing traffic well?

I think Singapore pride itself to have an educated work force so when I spoke to all my educated friends and acquaintance. They point to one problem for our traffic congestion: Too much cars!

I really sometimes wonder what is the freaking point of putting up so much gantries when every where you go gantries or not, it is still freaking jam.

I do go on site quite a fair bit and sometimes I require to go somewhere fast, so I took the route that has the most ERP and the fastest. When I take the CTE, its still freaking jam!

Why is there often such a jam, because of impatient drivers trying to navigate a traffic condition brought about by too much cars!

And since I took on average 5 taxi trips every month I managed to speak to a fair share of taxi drivers.

Their assessment: Whats the point of ERP? its freaking jam! Given the choice they would rather drive at night.

The Transport Minister told the world-gathering that Singapore is in a very unique situation being a small city state, with a growing population whose needs have to be met.

"Our transport sector plays an important role, in being able to move people quickly and efficiently, while managing road congestion. This is critical in keeping Singapore vibrant, green and an attractive place to live, work and play" he said.

This means options that include ways to encourage the development and use of green technologies in Singapore and nurturing green businesses and clean tech industris through tests of clean technologies in the transport sector.

This includes energy efficient lighting for traffic and street lights, recycled materials for road pavement construction, and construction methods that minimise the impact on the environment.

To improve the living environment, Singapore has also been testing green transport technologies such as the trial of diesel hybrid buses and diesel particulate filters in conjunction with the vehicle emission test laboratory (VETL) which was set up in October 2009.

An Electric Vehicle Taskforce co-chaired by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and LTA was also established to assess the feasibility of the EV technology in the local transport eco-system.

Mr Lim said LTA and the EMA will next jointly develop the necessary charging infrastructure to ensure convenient access to the electricity grid, with electric vehicle charging stations from service providers currently under evaluation.
With the electric charging infrastructure set up, and anticipated delivery of the Mitsubishi iMiEV electric vehicles, the test-bedding trial will bring Singapore be a step closer to going electric, on the road.

Drizzt:

Make no mistake. the people’s money will be expanded again to replace this IT system. one of NCS, ST Electronics or Accenture will benefit from this. Its gonna stimulate the IT industry, but is it for the best?