SINGAPORE: Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges at six gantries along the Central Expressway (CTE) will rise by S$1 next week to ease congestion during peak periods, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday (Oct 9).
ERP charges will be reintroduced at four gantries on the southbound CTE after Braddell Road and Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) slip road into the southbound CTE.
Charges will also be raised by S$1 at two gantries on the northbound CTE after the PIE.
The new rates will take effect at specified periods from Monday:
(Table: Land Transport Authority)
ERP charges were first suspended on Apr 6 on the expectation that traffic would be significantly reduced during the “circuit breaker” period.
LTA reintroduced ERP charges at some gantries along the CTE in July and August, following the end of the circuit breaker.
During the circuit breaker, employees were told to work from home to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Since Sep 28, the Ministry of Health has eased restrictions allowing more people to return to the workplace, but with working from home remaining the “default mode”.
READ: COVID-19: More people allowed to return to workplace, subject to conditions like capacity limits
On Friday, LTA said its monitoring of traffic conditions in September showed that traffic speeds have “remained optimal on all arterial roads and most expressways, except for some time periods on the CTE”.
“As more people travel to and from their workplaces, traffic volume has continued to build up during weekday peak hours. This has led to localised congestion at specific locations along the CTE during peak periods,” said LTA.
LTA said it would continue to monitor traffic speeds and congestion levels closely and assess if ERP rates need to be further adjusted.
