Singapore, among the world's most expensive places to own a vehicle, will stop increasing the total number of cars on its roads next year.
The government will cut the annual growth rate for cars and motorcycles to zero from 0.25 percent starting in February, the transport regulator said on Monday.
"In view of land constraints and competing needs, there is limited scope for further expansion of the road network," the Land Transport Authority said in a statement on its website. Roads already account for 12 percent of the city-state's total land area, it said.
Smaller than New York City, land in Singapore is a precious commodity and officials want to ensure the most productive use of the remaining space. Its infrastructure is among the world's most efficient and the government is investing S$28 billion ($21 billion) more on rail and bus transportation over the next five years, the regulator said.
Does Singapore's transportation future lie with Segways?
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday October 25 2017, @03:44PM
Lots of people in Singapore actually don't have a car till they start a family.
This is how it is in Japan too. There's little reason to have a car because public transit is generally faster, and a whole lot cheaper. But cars make it easier to get around with little kids.
Probably one of the reasons why not as many Singaporeans are starting families?
One of many probably. Having kids is just a gigantic pain in the ass in so many ways; I'm not sure why anyone bothers any more. You don't get any time to yourself for at least a decade, you don't get much sleep, you have to worry about being arrested for child neglect in the USA if your kid goes outside to play, your health insurance rates go through the roof, and all for what? So you can have some offspring that, in the best case, grows up to not be a dud and is a self-supporting member of society, but you never get to see because they're too busy going to work every day like everyone else.