| Musings/Surveys |
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| A new formula to curb speeding |
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Date: 13/08/2010 |
The increase in the number of speeding and illegal racing incidents has led to calls for more enforcement and patrols. Motorists aside, even sleeping residents have been subjected to this nuisance.
According to the Traffic Police, speeding is the number one cause of accidents and vehicle-related deaths. But even this advisory, along with repeated calls to drive safely, isn't getting through to the minority of drivers who treat every journey as a race to be won.
So if fines, demerit… more |
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| Are more cameras needed? |
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Date: 11/08/2010 |
Take a drive down one of our expressways and you're sure to spot a heavy vehicle hogging the centre lane within five minutes.
It's also not unusual to find motorcyclists in the first and second lanes. Some motorcyclists also insist on riding between lanes, instead of within a lane.
Apart from these, motorists also have to contend with road hogs in the rightmost lane, tailgaters, and aggressive drivers who weave in and out of traffic while leaving little room for… more |
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| Will season ticket holders get their lots back? |
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Date: 03/08/2010 |
The increase in the number of private vehicles meant that people who wanted a car or wanted to upgrade their car finally got their wish.
But this vehicle population increase also meant that the limited road space has become even more crowded. Aside from the frequent jams, the larger vehicle population has also caused a lack of parking spaces for season ticket holders in HDB carparks.
HDB's response to this was to double overnight parking charges - a revision which… more |
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| Taking one for the team |
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Date: 30/07/2010 |
The furore which erupted after last weekend's race at Hockenheim has marred by what should've been a derserving victory by the Ferrari team.
At the heart of the matter is the contentious issue of team orders. A team order is when a driver is asked to move over and allow his team mate to overtake. It is usually issued when one driver is clearly way ahead on points for the Driver's Championship, thus allowing him to further cement his lead.… more |
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| Cut it out |
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Date: 29/07/2010 |
In a bid to reduce the notorious air pollution that has been plaguing the territory for years, Hong Kong law banned taxis from leaving their engines idling while they wait at taxi stands. Only the first five cabs waiting in line are allowed to keep their engines running.
Idling engines are one of the main causes of increased fuel use and air pollution. Look up any guide that dispenses tips on how to save petrol and you'll find that one… more |
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| (Cheap) Petrol-driven |
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Date: 28/07/2010 |
Ask anyone who regularly drives up to Malaysia why they do so and they'll say it's because going there gives them the chance to fill up with cheap petrol.
But with the Malaysian government's moves to restrict foreign motorists from purchasing petrol, there's a good chance that quite a number of motorists will stop driving to Malaysia.
Beginning August 1, Malaysian petrol stations will be barred from selling RON 95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles. However, foreign motorists will still be… more |
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| When waters rise |
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Date: 23/07/2010 |
Singapore has literally been “under the weather” these past weeks. Floods that were only supposed to occur “once in 50 years” have now occurred twice in two months.
In fact, the PUB has identified no less than 52 spots around the island which are most likely to experience flooding should 100mm of rain fall in an hour. These spots range from the western to the eastern part of the island, but are concentrated in the centre and southern areas.
Can… more |
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| Will you upsize? |
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Date: 21/07/2010 |
With COE premiums at their current levels, buying a 1.6-litre car just isn't worth it anymore. Category A prices very recently shot up by another $7,000, making these cars an even more unpopular choice.
This trend shows that buyers are opting instead for more expensive Cat B cars, which have engine capacities above 1,600cc. In fact, according to LTA figures, over 40 percent of private cars are now made up of cars with engines larger than 1,600cc.
One obvious reason… more |
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| Regulating cyclists |
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Date: 19/07/2010 |
Cyclists here have the distinction of being “unwanted”. Motorists don't want them on the roads, and pedestrians want them off the sidewalks. Though cycling towns like Tampines and Pasir Ris allow cyclists to ride on footpaths, you'd be hard-pressed to find pedestrians who are willingly sharing space with them.
The fact that park connectors need to be built and special provisions created to allow cyclists to use sidewalks further underscores their situation.
In a nutshell, it can be said that… more |
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| The final countdown |
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Date: 15/07/2010 |
As you approach a junction and the traffic light turns yellow, do you speed up or slow down and stop?
This dilemma is a daily experience for many motorists. The signal light turns amber, but there's not enough room to stop in time. If you slam on the brakes, there's a risk of being rear-ended if the car behind is following too closely.
If you try to accelerate but end up not crossing the junction in time, you might end… more |
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| Information for all |
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Date: 14/07/2010 |
If a credit report is available for as little as $5, why is it that we are unable to see our personal insurance reports?
This issue was thrown into the spotlight recently when it was reported that a financial adviser was unable to find an insurance company willing to insure her client.
While credit reports can be accessed by consumers, insurance reports are allegedly only available to insurance companies here. These insurance reports are compiled and maintained by the… more |
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| Are we just hapless bystanders? |
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Date: 08/07/2010 |
The recent news about a couple on a scooter who were involved in an accident and claimed that no drivers stopped to help is yet another reminder of our lack of civic-mindedness.
Why is it that when an accident occurs, we slow down to check out the scene, but few of us ever even think about stopping to lend a hand?
In that couple's case, they could not remember how long they had lost consciousness before coming to and being… more |
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| How much power do we need? |
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Date: 06/07/2010 |
Cars are constantly evolving. With each generation, they have become bigger, safer, more fuel efficient and more powerful.
Larger cars are a reflection of our expanding sizes (we've grown taller and heavier), while increased safety was a natural response to our need to preserve life. As we became more aware of our limited oil supplies, efforts to ramp up fuel efficiency became more paramount.
But what drives automakers to focus on increasing engine outputs?
Not every motorist is a car… more |
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| Profits or safety? |
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Date: 02/07/2010 |
The recent accident involving an overturned lorry along the PIE and the subsequent death of three foreign workers has thrown the spotlight back onto the issue of workers' transport.
More stringent safety measures, such as the ones that require a lorry's cabin to be occupied before other workers can be seated on the flatbed in the rear, along with the higher railings which have to be installed are already in force.
However, workers seated in the back aren't strapped in… more |
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| Do big vehicles create bully drivers? |
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Date: 01/07/2010 |
At some point in time all drivers have experienced being bullied by other drivers in much larger vehicles. Getting squeezed out of your lane or having to slam on the brakes because an SUV, bus or lorry cut you off is an unnerving and maddening experience.
Whether or not you happen to be driving a tiny subcompact doesn't really matter. So long as the vehicle is larger than the one you happen to be in at the moment, you feel… more |
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| Why aren't acts of God covered? |
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Date: 30/06/2010 |
Getting a comprehensive insurance policy for your car sounds pretty straightforward. To motorists, having this sort of coverage for their vehicle is not only prudent; it also provides peace-of-mind.
Unless your car was being driven by an unlicenced driver or operated in an unlawful manner (racing, driving while intoxicated, driven with illegal modifications, etc.) when it is damaged in an accident, your comprehensive car insurance policy will be there to pick up the repair costs.
The comprehensive insurance policy however,… more |
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| Season parking flexibility |
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Date: 23/06/2010 |
Getting stuck in a traffic jam has become such a frequent occurence that using it as an excuse has become quite commonplace, if not outright acceptable.
Obviously, the lack of space on our roads (no doubt due to the burgeoning car population over the last few years) means that there's also a lack of parking spaces. In fact, another reason that people give for being late is that they can't find a place to park their vehicle.
Not being… more |
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| Oil spills: Are we to blame? |
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Date: 18/06/2010 |
The ongoing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is already being called the “worst environmental disaster” ever. With approximately hundreds of thousands of barrels worth of oil being spewed into the ocean daily, vast areas continue to be covered by a slick whose repercussions will be felt for many years to come.
The leak, which began after an explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig, makes the oil spill we experienced recently off our own coastline seem quite minor in… more |
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| Adequate drainage? |
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Date: 17/06/2010 |
The flooding that took place in Orchard Road not only caused damage to street-level and basement shops. It also caused problems to motorists unlucky enough to be stranded in its waters.
Before we start complaining and pointing fingers however, we should take a look at the bigger picture: The flooding wasn't islandwide and wasn't as big a problem in the other affected areas, namely Little India, Thomson Road, and Bukit Timah Road.
Flash floods are aptly named because they occur… more |
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| It's never been highly unlikely... |
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Date: 15/06/2010 |
No barrier is impregnable. No security system is unbreachable. The saying “if there's a will, then there's a way” has never been more apt than it is today.
Just over two years ago, the assumption that our security was infallible was shattered in the most dramatic fashion when known terrorist Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre. He went on to evade the pursuing authorities and escaped to Malaysia. Mind you, he managed all that with a limp.… more |
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