Improvement in Peak-hour Car Travel Speeds Since Implementation of High ERP Rates Along CTE

Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Transport since the implementation of the higher ERP rates from 1 August 2022 along CTE (a) what is the improvement in car travel speeds from (i) 8 am to 9.30 am along southbound CTE before Braddell Road and the slip road into southbound PIE and (ii) 6 pm to 7.30 pm along northbound CTE before PIE; and (b) whether LTA has other plans to improve congestion along CTE, which is heavily used by residents in the Ang Mo Kio GRC, besides increasing ERP rates.

In general, traffic speeds improve at timeslots and locations where electronic road pricing (ERP) rates are increased. From 1 August 2022, Land Transport Authority (LTA) increased ERP rates at 8 am to 8.30 am along southbound Central Expressway (CTE) after Braddell Road and the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) slip road into southbound CTE, and from 7 pm to 7.30 pm along northbound CTE after PIE. After the rate increases, traffic speed at these time slots along these stretches of the CTE improved by an average of 13%.

There are several upcoming infrastructural enhancements that will provide commuters with more choices. By the end of this year, Stage 3 of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will be opened and serve residents living along the TEL corridor, including Ang Mo Kio group representation constituency (GRC) residents in the vicinity of TEL stations, such as Lentor and Mayflower. These residents will have a faster and more direct train option to travel towards the city centre. And towards the end of this decade, the North-South Corridor (NSC) will directly connect the Northern region of Singapore to the city centre and relieve some demand on the CTE.