Public consultations for next transport master plan to begin in few weeks' time: Jeffrey Siow

Public consultations for the next transport master plan will begin in a few weeks’ time, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said on Monday (Sept 22).

Speaking during the debate on the President’s Address in Parliament, he said that he hopes to engage more Singaporeans "than ever before" to help shape the country's transportation future.

"Commuters, drivers, cyclists, seniors, persons with disabilities, mobility device users. We want to bring all of them together to have deeper conversations and to weigh trade-offs," he added.

"My hope is simple. That more Singaporeans feel the system works for them and that their story matters."

Siow said that since his appointment as acting transport minister in May, he has heard stories from "some people who feel that the system is sometimes not working for them".

These include a single mother who uses a personal mobility scooter to take her three kids to preschool even though it is illegal, and an office worker who ran in the rain to catch a bus.

"I would solve every one of these individual problems if I could, because these are not just matters of efficiency. These are matters of fairness and dignity," said Siow.

"But in a compact country like ours, transport needs necessarily collide. Pedestrians and cyclists share the same pavement; cyclists and drivers share the same road. Everyone wants a bus stop just below their homes, but no one wants a bus that stops every 20m.

"Trade-offs are unavoidable… it matters how we do it and how we bring people along."

With that, he said that his approach to politics will be to be transparent and hopes to “win more people’s trust”.

"I must show that our processes are fair, and my intentions are right."

Earlier in the debate, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh had cited the recent spate of MRT breakdowns, saying that many Singaporeans find it to be "highly unusual, particularly after significant taxpayer resources have been expanded to raise rail reliability over the last decade".

"This will have to be scrutinised in Parliament, including the findings and recommendations of the recently established task force under Land Transport Authority's purview," he added.

In response, Siow said he welcomed any questions from any MP on transport matters.

"My approach is to be open and transparent... In fact, I will welcome questions from all of us here in this chamber because good questions are not the sole province of the opposition, but the responsibility of all of us," he added.

Siow also addressed 18 questions for MPs on rail reliability, saying that train delays happen in every city. 

"Zero disruptions" is an unrealistic expectation, he said, which comes after four train disruptions in the span of five days this month. 

"Our phones, our computers have to be restarted every now and then. Cars will break down too. So will our trains," he added.  

Siow added that he has also asked the LTA to share more data on train disruptions publicly.

"We will be transparent, because we have a good system, and we have nothing to hide," he added.

[[nid:719131]]

chingshijie@asiaone.com