Skip to main content

Congestion stops traffic in SEA’s megacities

44 million people are being added to Southeast Asia’s urban population each year. As motor vehicle populations keep doubling every 5 to 7 years, what measures are being taken to tackle traffic congestion? Japnit Singh, Senior Director, Singapore and India of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly.

Southeast Asia’s middle-class continues to boom, fuelling car population increases despite the relative lack of infrastructure. According to the Asian Development Bank, the region’s major cities suffer from some of the highest air pollution levels globally – as much as 80 per cent being attributable to road transport.

Singh cautioned that building roads is not a solution, as this region faces severe practical limitations and escalating costs due to shortage of land in urban areas.

In Bangkok for example, roads have the capacity for two million motor vehicles whereas five million ply the city’s roads each day. This has led to the military government approving projects for six railway track routes around the city and three new motorways. The story is no different in Manila. The Japanese International Co-operation Agency suggested improvements in mass transit railway systems for its 20 million inhabitants. As for Jakarta, budget constraints continue to slow down rail and road infrastructure projects.

The issue is a pressing one because traffic jams impact the economy too. Singh pointed out that traffic jams mean increased consumption of fuel and cause employees to turn up late – and fatigued – for work, leading to low productivity. Moreover, congestion at ports holds up foreign trade – with ripple-effects on the economy.

Health complications are not too far behind. According to Jakarta’s Environmental Management agency, the level of lead in the city is 10 times higher than in 2008, standing at 0.33 microgram per cubic nanometer (mcg/nm3) in 2013.

It is crucial for the governments to step in and find the financing to resolve these land transport issues. The solutions will pay for themselves, not just in terms of enhanced productivity and hence tax revenues but also in terms of reduced healthcare costs.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/congestion-stops-traffic-in-seas-megacities/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Side Click: Are you under the surveillance camera?

Identifying VIPs with strong purchasing power is crucial to retail success. More often than not, retail staff fail to do this in time. Facial recognition technology can help prevent this. But does it put our privacy at risk? With high-spending customers making out-sized contributions to retail profitability, it is increasingly crucial for retailers to provide personalized customer service the minute a VIP customer sets foot in the store. For instance, Katie Holmes reportedly spent USD100,000 on a fashion makeover and USD14,200 on lingerie alone in 2012! This is where identification technology can play a role. NEC, a Japan-based ICT vendor, has developed an identification application based on a facial recognition system – comparing the individual’s facial features against its database, and sending prompts when a match is identified. The initial purpose of the application was to help identify terrorists and criminals , but it was subsequently adapted to the retail setting....
Post a Comment
Read more

Is a Korean peace treaty on the cards?

The historical and unprecedented meeting between the two leaders of Korea is a monumental development. Can both leaders use this opportunity enhance geo-political stability and open up new economic development possibilities? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 7 May 2018. Marking a remarkable change, the unprecedented meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas underlines the possibility of a peace treaty and denuclearization agreement. However, Perera expressed scepticism about North Korea’s commitment to completely renounce nuclear strike capability against Japan and South Korea, since this is the only factor ensuring regime survival. World leaders need to take this chance to limit the North’s nuclear capability while accepting that it may never be completely voided, bring the North into the global framework and work towards economic development on the Korean peninsula. Read...
Post a Comment
Read more

As Sri Lanka’s population ages, the insurance market booms

As Sri Lanka experiences demographic shifts – by 2021, 16.7% of the population could be aged 60 or above – the life insurance market is booming. The nation’s average economic growth stands at a brisk 6.2% since the end of the bitter civil war in 2009, with services and manufacturing leading the way. As Sri Lankans live longer, demand is surging for insurance products such as endowment and pension policies, with retirement planning taking a front seat. Will insurance continue to be one of Sri Lanka’s sunrise industries? For further information, click here.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Earthquake in Nepal jolts the economy

Nepal – one of the poorest countries in the world – had a rude awakening when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on 25 April 2015. The impact was tragic. Casualties continue to rise, with immense damage to infrastructure. Will the nation be able to pick up the shattered pieces of its economy? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. With the estimated cost of rehabilitation set to hit USD5 billion – a quarter of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD20 billion in 2014 – the economic impact of the earthquake is massive. According to United Nation’s data, 8 million people are directly in the line of fire. Both agriculture – with well over 70% of the population employed in this sector – and tourism have been badly afflicted. Perera opined that the disaster will also impact the nation’s ability to grow and transport fresh food – the agricultural sector alone accounts for 38% of GDP. Moreover, ...
Post a Comment
Read more