The Public Transport Conundrum
Singapore has been trying to encourage its citizens to take public transport, thus relieving the traffic congestion from private vehicular traffic.
To this end, they have tried reducing the supply of COEs (Certificates of Entitlement), as well as to build more MRT lines.
However, the rate of expansion of the capacity of public transport seems to have trailed behind the importation of foreign talents, resulting in increased incidents of over-crowding on these facilities. Some of these services are evidently over-stretched, as they try to cope with the ever-growing demand.
Another key issue in public transport is the increased proportion of foreigners who rely on their services as their main mode of transport. Cultural practices are indeed different, as many from neighbouring developing economies tend to have different concepts of personal space and privacy than the local population. Not only do they stand closer to you, they also tend to speak louder too.
As a result, buses and MRTs are filled with the cacophonous mix of foreign tongues, which increases a Singaporean's sense of alienation in his own country. No wonder many Singaporeans feel that there are too many foreigners in the country, for they cannot help but to be confronted by sounds of unfamiliar accents and languages wherever they go.
The truth is, while their numbers may be on the rise, it may be that the real issue lies within the lack of cultural integration in what was seen previously as a stable mix of cultures.
So, like many Singaporeans, I am starting to feel alienated when I take public transport. Leading to my thoughts of taking up driving to get some respite from the onslaught of foreign tongues spoken so loudly that I cannot help but listen to.
So what can the government do with transport policy? I doubt the demand for cars will go away too soon, considering the unrelenting tide of new foreign workers settling here.
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