The roads are getting pricier from July 7

It has been a long time since I drive into town on weekdays. Even at night, I hardly do so due to the ERP. It is really getting more & more pricey each quarter. The last time I when into Orchard on a weekdays is last Christmas. As more gantries coming up & Orchard ERP starting an hour early, guess town is way out of reach since CTE ERP for the south bound ends at 11am.

Five new gantries, forming a cordon along the Singapore River Line, will go live to regulate the evening traffic flow from 6pm to 8pm, bringing the total number of gantries to 65.

In what is seen as the most extensive revision of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) here since its implementation 10 years ago, another 32 gantries in the Central Business District (CBD), including those around Orchard Road, will also have their charges increased.

Rates are being revised mostly during the evening time slots because speeds have fallen steadily during the home-rush hours. The Government is going to fix this by doing three things. The biggest change is that if you pay, you will get to enjoy a smooth flowing ride - which is not always the case now. Motorists can expect to pay as much as $2 more per gantry.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is also using a new method to measure the traffic flow to ensure that 85 per cent of all motorists using a priced road will experience optimal speeds, which are between 20km/h and 30km/h on arterial roads and, 45km/h and 65km/h on expressways.

The second change is that increments will be at $1 and the starting price for any new gantry is $2. At the current increments of 50 cents, many motorists do not feel the pinch. LTA said it revised nine ERP rate changes in 2006 and another 25 rate changes last year to keep drivers off these roads.

The third change is to discourage motorists clogging up city roads by using them as a thoroughfare. This will, hopefully, be solved by the new gantries along the Singapore River line which will charge motorists $2 from 6pm to 8pm.