Sigh Time: Maximum ERP charge goes up to $5 from Nov 5 (and others)
Singapore October 29th, 2007
Apparently someone up there, high up there, isn’t really too happy about car prices going down too much (you mean the prices actually went down?) the sudden surge in car ownership has driven the traffic on expressways to an all time slowness and there is now a need to increase the ERP charges. When the ERP gantry just outside Hume Avenue comes into effect, we will probably get a lot, a lot of unhappy people too. If there are 200 units and everyone goes out during the peak hour (7 to 8am?), there would be a confirmed revenue of at least $100 (assuming ERP charge was only $0.50 and every household owns a car) per day in addition to the revenue incurred as a result of the number of cars passing by that road.
Very soon, there will be an ERP gantry outside every carpark (no, I am not referring to the carpark one).
So, before you buy a car, here are some things that you should add to your monthly expenditure:
- Car loan interest - of course, this is what you will be paying every month in addition to your car cost
- Road tax - usually about 800 per year for a 1,500cc car (like a Swift!)
- Insurance - if you are a first time owner, prepare something like $1900 per year?
- Petrol - you pay for what you use, but if you don’t use it, then why bother getting a car?
- Parking - if you do not stay in a landed place, do prepare to set aside something between $65 to $130, depending on where you stay
- Car Maintenance - probably a yearly or 1/2 yearly thing; cost depends on what needs to be changed/maintained
- Miscellaneous - car wash, car grooming, mods, petty accident claims, etc.
Hey, so there’s suddenly more than one thing and I am not just paying $500+ for the car per month. Instead, it added up to almost $1300, at least. Gosh!
Woe to those who can’t wake up early enough - you pay more for ERP as well as petrol since petrol usage is higher for urban driving, yes, that includes slow traffic on highways. =P
CAR prices may be at their lowest in over a decade, but it is getting costly to drive. The Land Transport Authority on Monday announced that the Electronic Road-Pricing (ERP) rates will go up by 50 cents from Nov 5 - the third big-scale increase this year.
The latest adjustment brings the cost of entering the Central Expressway via the Pan-Island Expressway between 8.30am and 9am to a stiff $5. This route made news early this year when its ERP charge went up to $4. It was then raised to $4.50 in the middle of the year, before the latest record price.
Those who want to avoid paying $5 should wake up earlier. The charge for going through this gantry between 7.30am and 8am is $3.50 (also up 50 cents).
Central Expressway users once again bear the brunt of charges. Those passing the gantry north of Braddell Road between 7.30am and 8am will pay $2.50 from Nov 5; and those passing the gantry south of Braddell Road between 8.30am and 9am will pay $4 from that day. The $4 charge also applies to those joining the CTE from Serangoon and from Balestier.
Next, the Bendemeer Road rate will rise to $1.50, while the Thomson Road rate will go to $2 from Nov 5.
Motorists will have to contend with these higher usage charges on the back of higher fuel bills. Since June, there has been no fewer than six rounds of pump price increase, bringing the cost of two petrol grades past the $2 level.
Motorists who have been bracing themselves for the set of new gantries coming on on Nov 1 will now have temporary respite. The LTA has decided to postpone the starting day to Nov 5, to align with the new ERP rates.
The next ERP rate revision will be in November, when prices are expected to fall in line with lighter traffic because of the year-end school holidays.
Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 29th October 2007.
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