Land Transport Authority

The Land Transport Authority (Abbreviation: LTA; Chinese: 陆路交通管理局 (shortform: 陆交局); Malay: Penguasa Pengangkutan Darat; நிலப் போக்குவரத்து வாரியம்) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of Government of Singapore.

History
Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established in 1 September 1995 and launched by the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. LTA was formed with the merger of public sector entities, namely the Registry of Vehicles, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation, Roads & Transportation Division of the Public Works Department and Land Transportation Division of the former Ministry of Communications.

Making public transport a choice mode
Providing the people with a safe, efficient and comfortable public transportation network has been the cornerstone of LTA's strategy. It is the Government's vision to make public transport the key in meeting Singapore’s long-term land transport needs sustainably, both as a nation with limited space and as a member of the global community in reducing resource consumption and pollution.

Rail
LTA is responsible for the development of the rapid transit system and the expansion of the rail network. It aims to double the rail network by 2030. Since 2008, LTA has increased the length of Singapore’s rail network from 138km to about 180km with the opening of the Boon Lay Extension in 2009, the Circle Line from 2009 to 2011 and the Circle Line Extension in 2012. Downtown Line, North South Line Extension, Tuas West Extension are underway towards completion with Thomson Line, Cross Island Line and Jurong Region Line are under planning.

A new platform was added at the Jurong East MRT station as part of the Jurong East Modification Project in 2011 to cater to growing passenger numbers. 22 additional trains were also added to the existing North South and East West Lines (NSEWL).

Half-height platform screen doors were installed in all 36 elevated stations in 2012 for the safety of passengers and to reduce delays in train service from track intrusions.

Bus
LTA took on the role of central bus network planner from 2009, working with communities and the bus operators, SBS Transit (SBST) and SMRT Buses (SMRTB), to identify areas for bus improvements and to shift the focus to placing the commuter at the centre and taking a holistic approach in planning the bus network, taking into consideration development in the Rapid Transit System (RTS) network and other transport infrastructure. As a result, some bus routes were changed and new services added to give commuters more bus options and make it easier for commuters to connect to MRT stations and amenities.

Bus Quality of Service (QoS) standards have also been tightened to reduce waiting time and reduce crowding. Now, at least 4 in 5 buses run every 10 minutes or less during weekday peak hours, an improvement from 15 minutes as compared in 2008. Feeder bus services have become more frequent too, with 90% of bus services now running at intervals of 10 minutes or less during the weekday peak periods, tightened from 85%.

Since June 2010, LTA has also started a quarterly review process of heavily-utilised bus services together with bus operators SBST and SMRTB. As a result, higher capacity buses have been deployed and more bus trips operated to better match demand with capacity. As of the second quarter of 2013, a total of 165 bus services – 110 SBST and 55 SMRTB – have seen improvements under this initiative.

In addition, to further improve the reliability and speed of bus services, buses have been given greater priority on the roads over other vehicles. An additional 35 kilometres of normal bus lanes and 16 kilometres of full day bus lanes have been added. The Mandatory Give-Way to Buses scheme, which was implemented at 218 bus bays island-wide since 2008, enables buses to exit the bus bays faster. This will help to shorten bus journey time and make them a more viable competitor to cars.

As for Premium Bus Services (PBS), they have been doubled from 42 five years ago, to 91 as of January 2013.

Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP)
Since 2012, the Government has partnered the bus operators to significantly increase bus capacity and enhance bus service levels through the Bus Service Enhancement Programme. Under BSEP, about 40 new services are being introduced and 800 buses are being added over five years. About 300 of the 550 buses will be deployed to improve bus frequencies of existing services while the remaining 250 buses will be used to run new bus services. With BSEP, commuters can expect shorter waiting time and more comfortable journeys.

LTA has so far added 248 buses onto the road under BSEP. The bulk of the remaining buses will be rolled out by the end of 2014. LTA will also be looking into tapping on private bus operators to augment the current pool of resources.

Road projects
Investment in road projects ensures that the economy will be ably supported with a strong and ever-improving transport infrastructure and coordinated system to help motorists to enjoy a safer and more pleasant journey. One such project is the introduction of the Parking Guidance System (PGS) in the city and HarbourFront area to guide drivers to the nearest parking facility with available parking spaces, reducing the need for vehicles to cruise around to find empty parking spaces.

As part of investment in road projects, LTA will also be looking into increasing the number of Junction Eyes (J-Eyes) and Expressway Monitoring Advisory System (EMAS) cameras to nearly 600. The EMAS system has also been extended to 6 arterial roads with 336 cameras keeping motorists updated of traffic conditions. The system will further be extended to 4 more major arterial corridors by the middle of 2014.

To improve road safety, LTA implemented a variety of road engineering measures, such as adding pedestrian crossing lines with enhanced dash markings, traffic calming markings and “pedestrian crossing ahead” road markings in more locations in 2009. “Your Speed Signs”, electronic signs displaying the speed of a passing vehicle, were also introduced so that motorists could be more aware of their speeds and would be more likely to keep to the speed limit. Road studs which flash in tandem with the green man signal at traffic junctions were also installed at more locations to alert motorists to stop for crossing pedestrians.

To improve safety of motorcyclists, LTA doubled the number of rain shelters on expressways so that motorcyclists had more safe places to take shelter during storms.

Meeting diverse needs
LTA recognizes the need to pay attention to the social role of transport and to ensure everyone including the young, elderly, disabled and those in need can access amenities and participate in society and economy.

Greater accessibility
All MRT stations are now barrier free and have at least one lift installed. Toilets have also been made wheelchair-accessible. Currently, more than 80% of MRT stations have at least two barrier-free access routes.

All new public buses registered in Singapore are wheelchair-accessible. Eventually by 2020, all public buses will be wheelchair-accessible. All bus interchanges will also become barrier-free with wheelchair-accessible facilities by end 2013.

Beyond transport nodes, LTA has stepped up efforts to make roads and related amenities, such as walkways, taxi stands and bus stops, accessible to the less mobile. LTA has completed an island-wide programme to make such facilities barrier-free as much as possible.

Since 2008, LTA has been progressively installing shelters on existing pedestrian overhead bridges. By the end of 2013, overhead bridges next to six MRT stations will be retrofitted with lifts to allow better barrier-free access.

The Green Man Plus scheme, at selected pedestrian crossings, was developed to give seniors and those with disabilities more time to cross the road. This scheme will be extended to 500 pedestrian crossings across the island by 2015.

Cycling
1,500 bicycle racks have been installed at 10 MRT stations in 2012 and 900 more at 10 more stations by 2013, providing cyclists with more facilities. Foldable bicycles are also allowed on trains and buses during off-peak hours.

LTA Academy
The LTA Academy was launched in September 2006 by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore. The Academy aims to be a global knowledge hub in urban transport. It provides a one-stop platform for government officials, professionals and practitioners from around the world to tap on Singapore’s experience and expertise and exchange knowledge and best practices in urban transport management and development. The Academy takes on three key roles: Learning Enabler, Research and Public Education. It publishes JOURNEYS, a professional publication on land transport issues.

Land Transport Gallery
The LTA Gallery, located at the main LTA Hampshire Office, offers a learning experience about the evolution of Singapore’s land transport system in a fun and interactive environment.