Car population up 9% despite slowdown in car sales

Last year, new car sales shrank by 8.8% to 106,710 units. At the same time, the number of cars taken off the road - either scrapped or exported - shrank by 22.5% to 64,145 units.

As a result, Singapore's car population grew by 9% to 514,685 units last year - overtaking 2006's record rise of 7.4%.

The unusual expansion was three times the allowable 3 per cent growth cap put in place by the Government. The growth in car numbers is putting a strain on the road infrastructure and the Land Transport Authority has been raising electronic road-pricing rates and erecting more ERP gantries. Observers expect ERP to be more pervasive in the next few months. The trend will also impact the future supply of COEs.

It is a laughing stock!!! The number of COEs for cars is controlled by the Government. The current road congestion is directly caused by the increase in car population. It is the greatest joke in town when you see the Government taking advantage of the situation to rake in more revenue by increasing ERP instead of recognising its mistake and finding solution as there could probably a flaw in the COE system in regulating traffic growth. Increasing ERP is merely pushing congestion from one road to another which is not solving the issue.