SINGAPORE: From next Monday (Feb 20), two Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries along the east-bound Pan Island Expressway (PIE) will be activated in the evenings to ease congestion, announced the Land Transport Authority (LTA) after completing its quarterly review.
The two gantries are located after Adam Road and at the Mount Pleasant slip road into PIE (Changi).
In a news release on Monday (Feb 13), LTA explained that traffic conditions along the east-bound PIE during the evening peak hours have deteriorated in recent years.
“In particular, east-bound PIE near Adam Road and Mount Pleasant have experienced heavy congestion, with traffic speeds significantly below the optimal range of 45km/h-65km/h, going in fact below 40km/h,” said LTA.
The LTA also announced that ERP rates at two gantries along the north-bound Central Expressway (CTE) will go up by S$1 during the evening peak hour, between 6pm and 8pm.
The revised rates at the gantries – both after the PIE – also take effect on Feb 20.
Meanwhile, works have started to prepare for the activation of an ERP gantry at the Tampines slip road into KPE (ECP), just before the tunnel entrance of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).
LTA has been looking into the need to manage traffic congestion along the stretch of the south-bound KPE during the weekday morning peak hours. It said its review found that traffic speeds along this stretch have consistently remained below the optimal speed range of 45km/h to 65km/h, dipping to as low as 30 km/h.
LTA added that it will continue to monitor the traffic speeds along KPE in the next quarter, before finalising the ERP operating hours and rates.
The second quarterly ERP rate review for 2017 will take place in May, said LTA.
