When I was in Dubai, conference attendees had the opportunity to cast their vote on what type of autonomous public transport they would use the most. Without hesitation, I put a peg in the wheel to show my support for Taxi and Ride sharing services and laughed a little at those with their sites on the Cable Car. Were in Dubai I thought, not Whistler or Breckinridge!

---

Flash forward a few days, I’m in Singapore, departing from my 80 cent metro ride, grabbing my $8 java chip Starbucks (just love collecting those stars) with my sites on a $28 round trip cable car ride to the beach. My first attempt to reach the beach the day before was an epic fail after spending 60 minutes on an open air bus only to come up short. My second attempt could not be a bust, I was all in. “Pun intended”

The 40 minute metro / cable car multimodal trip was a complete success, although a little spendy for a daily trip to the beach.

Reflecting back to Dubai, they are preparing for the 2020 Dubai World Expo which lasts 6 months. Given how fast they installed their regional elevated light rail system back in 2009, perhaps a Cable Car addition would be just right.

http://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.138/ijc.693.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/wp-1571582789532.mp4?time=1571582815

Enjoy the ride!

As much as I could go for a 6-inch toasted Italian with extra jalapenos, I’m talking about underground transportation. Air conditioned, affordable and easy to access once I figured out how to buy a reloadable ezlink pass.

I could have bought an unlimited Singapore Tourist mulitday pass for $10-$20, but I opted for the pay as you go approach to get the full experience and to get a feel for what each leg of the trip costs. Next stop. The Cable Car!

One way to get more people comfortably out at night, enjoying the city with friends and family, is to simply separate people from vehicles and then align and meet their needs along the way.

As a foreigner who is accustomed to a network of sidewalks alongside streets, I naturally walk to a destination as if I were driving my Passat. Using that approach in Singapore has left me dazed and confused for the pedestrian network is fundamentally different perhaps more integrated with daily life.

The travel path from this pedestrian overcrossing to the Hotel goes through the neighboring mall then another sky bridge without ever walking next to a vehicle.

This is initially counterintuitive, but more enjoyable once I discovered the route. Live music, shops, Starbucks and more wtth no chance for a vehicle collision. At multiple locations I can easily slip to the street to meet a for hire taxi at an arranged location.

Some of you may know this answer, but here goes given my observations and the wonderful commentary from the Citywide bus tour I’m enjoying with yes… no congestion.

1. Congestion pricing.. the more you drive the more you pay. (The bus tour company pays $20k US each year in ERP tolls)
2. Control the number of registered vehicles and limit the # of years the permit is valid for one vehicle to 10 years (Signapore is a top exporter of used vehicles).
3. Keep the cost for personal vehicle ownership high with a 100% import tax.
4. Significant governmental investment in multimodal options.

Rhetorical question… I’m curious how many of my fellow Americans would support these types of policies to avoid being stuck in traffic?

What a simple effective communication of the 2040 master plan. At a great location as well. The Marina Bay Sands (cost to build $5B US). With 25% of the landmass in Singapore being imported sand, no wonder real estate is so expensive. What a view from the top!