Our final idea

Combination of solutions:

-        3in1 method

-        Increasing the minimum age for the driving license become 19 years old

By Increasing the minimum age of the driving license become 19 years old as seen. It will reduce the number of people that own private car, and for those who have their own car they will surely feel the effect of 3-in-1 method as seen in figure 3.3a, and for those who are using their own private car should have  the license scanner in their car that will use for putting their license by using infrared detector, and every time they pass the 3-in-1 areas, will automatically checking the minimum age of the license’s owner and the number of people in the car. If the owner is underage, then the license will be confiscated, so they will not drive in a period of months.  The technology involved 3 in 1 methods is an infrared detection based on the number of detector.  As for the Infrared technology has been used in industrial, scientific, and medical applications.  Night-vision device using infrared illumination allow people or animals to be observed without observer being detected. Thus, the 3 in 1 infrared detector can detected each car in the “3 in 1 areas”, by firing the chip detector algorithm can identify the direction of the body in different infrared signals, thereby improving the accuracy of infrared detection, and to realize the detection of the number. If the number is less than 3, the detector will send a warning signal back to the “3 in 1 devices” in the car, police will record the time and the driver’s driving licence will forbidden for the next week.

what is a HOV lane?

A high Occupancy Vehicle lane is a specially designed lane that is designated for use by certain types of vehicles with specified number of occupants. It can offer travel time savings to those who choose to carpool to take transit.

 On ontario highways, HOV lanes are for use by passenger vehicles with two or more occupants (i.e. the driver plus at least one passenger ).

HOV lanes can move a greater number of people than a general traffic lane, and encourage carpooling and transit use, by providing travel time savings and a more reliable trip time. HOV lanes help to manage congestion, and optimise the capacity of highways.

HOV lanes in the U.S.

A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as a HOV lane) is a restricted traffic lane reserved at peak hour times or longer for exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, including carpools, van-pools and transit buses. The normal minimum occupancy level is 2 or 3 occupants.

The introduction of HOV lanes in the U.S. progressed slowly during the 1970s and early 1980s. Major growth occurred from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. The busway was opened in December 1973 to carpools with four or more occupants, becoming the first instance in which buses and carpools officially shared a HOV lane over a considerable distance.

As of 2005, the two lanes of this HOV 3+ facility were carrying during the morning peak hour (6:30 am to 9:30 am) a total of 31,700 people in 8,600 vehicles (3.7 persons/veh) while the 3 or 4 general purpose lanes carried 23,500 people in 21,300 vehicles (1.1 persons/veh). Average travel time in the HOV facility is 29 min while 64 min in the general traffic lanes. Three or more people in a vehicle (HOV 3+) are required to travel on the facility during rush hours on weekdays.

Traffic in Singapore

Singapore City area of 700 square kilometers, car ownership more than 900,000, with an average almost every car has a 1286 square kilometers. Traffic is obviously congested. Can be "blocked" phenomenon is almost gone. Analyze the reasons, summarized as Singapore attaches great importance to the overall planning of road traffic system.

Buy a car in Singapore is a luxurious thing. The car certificate purchase cost about 3 times the basic price of the car. Among 10 Singaporeans, the number of car ownership is less than 2. Singapore government is clearly aware, the Singapore Land resources are scarce, if not take control of car ownership, Singapore will become a huge parking lot. So, to effectively control the number of vehicles on our roads Singapore Land Transport Authority provides only to a fixed number of monthly car payment car ownership certificate.

The next step is for the traveling car shunt. In 1998, Singapore began to implement automatic electronic toll collection, the use of short-range communications technology and IC card prepaid replace manual toll collection, vehicle goes through a toll gate without stopping. Government fees may be adjusted based on the average speed of the vehicle. Slow speed on the toll increase , faster speed is reduced charges. On entering the city center of Singapore all channels, depending on the location, have set up automatic electronic toll collection system, fees go depending on the time, traffic volume and vehicle. The electronic toll will automatically deduct a fee from the prepaid electronic card from every passing car. Currently a total of 66 Singapore automatic electronic toll. Electronic toll collection through a peak time to pay up to four dollar, then charges depending on the time and location. If you go downtown before 9:00 o'clock , generally after three times, first to pay four dollar, and the second payment of two dollar and half, and the third payment of one dollar. The general public said, traveling into the city would have pay "money " of up to eight dollar. So in order to save money, many people do not choose to go downtown during peak hours, so that to achieve the diversion effect.

Infrared camera

The technology we want to use in our final design is the infrared  camera. This technology can easily scan how many people inside one car. Let me do a simple introduction about the thermographic camera.

A thermographic camera (also called an infrared camera or thermal imaging camera) is a device that forms an image using infrared radiation. Similar to a common camera that forms an image using visible light.  

Generally speaking, the higher an object's temperature is, the more infrared radiation is emitted as black-body radiation. A special camera can detect this radiation in a way similar to the way an ordinary camera detects visible light. It works even in total darkness because ambient light level does not matter. This makes it useful for rescue operations in smoke-filled buildings and underground.

Images from infrared cameras tend to have a single color channel because the cameras generally use a sensor that does not distinguish different wavelengths of infrared radiation. Color cameras require a more complex construction to differentiate wavelength and color has less meaning outside of the normal visible spectrum because the differing wavelengths do not map uniformly into the system of color vision used by humans.

THREE MAIN IDEAS

IDEA 1:

3 in 1

3 in 1 method means, a method where there are minimum three people in each car. This method is usually applied in peak hours time. When a car enter 3 in 1 area in certain period, each car which enter that area should have minimum three person.

Pros:

-decrease the number of private vehicles on road

-reduce congestions or traffic jam

-reduce the pollution by reducing

Cons:

-not quite convenient for some people if they are less than three people in the car but actually they want to pass the 3 in 1 area

21

IDEA 2:

Increase the fee of COE

Pros:

-Reduce the number of people that have their own private car

-Limiting the new cars

Cons:

-The car market in the country become lower

-People will be harder to buy car

IDEA 3:

Increasing the minimum age for the driving license become 19 years old

Pros:

-So fewer people will buy car

-Decrease the vehicle’s population

Cons:

-Fewer people have the chance to driving

Case study-Singapore

Singapore is not only a beautiful city, and its orderly urban transport also impresses people. All this should be attributed to Singapore's urban transport networks matured and reasonable and strict traffic management system.

Singapore has a population of about 4.68 million, a large urban population density. Although the government by raising import duties and other means to control the number of cars increased, but Singapore currently has 850,000 motor vehicles, of which cars from 370,000 in 1997 soared to the current 515,000. From the car frequency, the average annual mileage of cars in Singapore is 21,000 kilometers, higher than London (9100 km), Melbourne, Australia (13,900 km) and Chicago (19,800 km). Nevertheless, Singapore's traffic is still very smooth, even at peak hours and roads, and few serious jams.

Singapore reason to orderly urban transport is because of its facilities, reasonable structure, high quality design in place of the three-dimensional traffic network. Singapore Ministry of Transportation under the Land Transport Authority of Singapore as a road traffic managers to develop a strict checking mechanism responsible for international standard road design and road safety management, checking whether vehicles sold in compliance with local safety standards, and periodically check whether the vehicle comply with the standard. Singapore's two public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT companies have started using advanced automated fleet management system, which can instantly determine the exact location of buses on the road in order to more effectively schedule trips in the event of emergency situations can react immediately.

Electronic toll collection system established in 1998 in Singapore contributed in regulating traffic areas. Singapore-registered cars and motorcycles are equipped with electronic card reader, as long as the cash smart card into the reader, the car passing instant electronic gates, the radio signal on the door will be deducted from the cost of the smart card. If you forget to insert the card in the card reader or enough money, it will send a signal to remind the reader, with automatic recognition of electronic gates will record the location and time of the offending car, the owner will receive a ticket shortly after. Currently, Singapore parking lot began to introduce electronic toll collection system.  Electronic toll collection system is based on the maximum benefit of different sections, time, and vehicles of different charges. When heavy traffic, road use fees will be higher, taking the road more large vehicles will be charge higher fees. For instance, Singapore's most famous shopping street - Orchard Road, because of too many vehicles in recent years, the government’s pursuit to reduce car traffic is by increasing tolls.

Strict punishment system also ensures the traffic order in Singapore. In addition to traffic violators paying fines, revocation of driver's license may also face penalties and even jail. Drivers that ran a red light, not wearing a seatbelt and parking chaos and other illegal behavior will be penalized or fined;

drink or drug driving in addition to being the driver of points and fines, will be sentenced to six months imprisonment; repeated violations will face tougher penalties.

Case study-New York

New York City is the most populous city in United States, which includes one of the largest subway systems in the world.  The population of the city is about 8.34 million, which is a large population density. However, the city’s transportation condition is very smooth.  Some other countries have taking their transportation system as a good example to improve their traffic condition.

The transportation system of New York City is a cooperation of complex systems of infrastructure which is includes Rail & Buses.  Rail contains subway system, airport services, commuter rail and intercity rail.  The subway system is the largest subway systems in the world when measured by track mileage. In 2002, an average 4.8 million passengers used the subway each weekday.  During one day in September 2005, 7.5 million daily riders set a record for ridership.

Despite New York’s reliance on public transit, roads are a defining feature of the city. The strong roads plan and management provided the smooth condition as well. For instance, in Manhattan, there are twelve numbered avenues that run parallel to the Hudson River and 220 hundred streets that run perpendicular to the River.

We known that even nowadays there are too many vehicles, but too many vehicles not equals to traffic jams, congestion and accidents.  Too many vehicles is the result of social development, while, strong transportation system and well control and management, as well as the punishment are the important things we should focus on and pay the effort to improve together.

Case study-Beijing

In the year 2008, there are over 3-million cars and 18-million people using the roads, this crowd really shows how Beijing is. Existing transport facilities are already unable to deal with the increasing traffic pressure. In recent years, traffic jams on major Beijing roads have been getting more and more frequent. Traffic pressure in Beijing is one big headache for its residents and city planners.

Through the press conference, Quan Yongshen, Director of Beijing Municipal Communications Research Center said the provision of public transportation facilities must be accelerated. This is few ways how government tried to solve the problem of too many vehicles in Beijing. An efficient road network is built connecting 10 new towns which located around the city, and there are another 15 arteries will link the central area and expressways, to the highest standards and the greatest possible capacity of transportation.

By last  2006, subway lines extend from the current 53 km to 138 km, and an important project three years in the making, the 98km-long 5th ring road, opened for traffic. It connects with all the expressways radiating from Beijing. Its completion will definitely help relieve traffic pressure in the city center. These few ways have been decrease the problem of too many vehicles which leads to traffic jam in Beijing.

Interview

The interviewee is Chung Der Sheng, who is 57 years old who is a local taxi driver. He is currently living with his family, he has 2 sons. Interview was conducted through email because the time difficulties of meeting each other.

(Chung Der Sheng. Email interview. 2 March 2014.)

Chung Der Sheng is 57 years old, which is a Singaporean. He is working as a taxi driver since 2000, which is already 14 years he has been working as taxi driver in total.  He lives in Singapore with a wife and two sons.

He is considered as a vehicles user, since he work as a taxi driver, and he use car as it is a part of their job needs. He stated that he has no other alternative jobs or he has no other available jobs when he reached the age of 50 or 55. Although working as a taxi driver is a long hours work, but he stated that

there is a freedom working as a taxi driver, over all he feel quite ok with his job. But sometimes he also faced a passenger which is not nice or even rude. In his opinion, passengers is bad or rude when us as taxi drivers take routes that actually they do not prefer, then they think they have all the right.

According to him, he ever feel trapped in a traffic, bus lanes are of no benefit to taxi drivers, hinders taxi drivers from getting more passenger and restricting traffic low, he said. Based on his point of view, there are some areas that usually have the most traffic, CTE or highways like AYE, usually around morning and evening peak hours. Although like what has been stated before that he feels quite ok with his job, but actually he also feel the disadvantages from being a taxi driver, like if the passengers are grumble when stuck in traffic, they don’t understand the situation, and the possible to earned money is less during the slow traffic.

Chung Der Sheng said, the caused of too many vehicles are mostly cause by all the other vehicles come out at the same time during to work or off work hours and slight accidents on roads also cause a big jam. and to him, government should cut down on vehicles(such as people that own two cars) or set a quota on maximum vehicles limits.

Observation

Fig 1. Dhoby Ghaut MRT station during morning peak hours.

Fig 2. Raffles place MRT station at 6:18pm.

Fig 3. Raffles Place train entrance.

It was a Thursday morning at 9:15am. People were waiting for the MRT train at Dhoby Ghaut station. The first picture shows the station is very crowded. Actually, “crowded” is an understatement, because of the train’s delay, many people were anxious during the waiting time.  After 10mins, passengers could on board the train at Dhoby Ghaut station . (I was uncomfortably close to the five people standing around me, and I found my face in someone else’s armpit.)

The second picture was taken at the Raffles Place MRT station on Tuesday, 6:18pm. Raffles Place is the centre business district in Singapore. Those workers usually finish their work around 6pm, as the last photo shown, many people were stuck at the train entrance during the peak-hour.  There’s nothing extraordinary about this scene, since it’s a daily occurrence in Singapore.

Case Study 1

Singapore is not only a beautiful city, and its orderly urban transport also impresses people. All this should be attributed to Singapore's urban transport networks matured and reasonable and strict traffic management system.

Singapore has a population of about 4.68 million, a large urban population density. Although the government by raising import duties and other means to control the number of cars increased, but Singapore currently has 850,000 motor vehicles, of which cars from 370,000 in 1997 soared to the current 515,000. From the car frequency, the average annual mileage of cars in Singapore is 21,000 kilometers, higher than London (9100 km), Melbourne, Australia (13,900 km) and Chicago (19,800 km). Nevertheless, Singapore's traffic is still very smooth, even at peak hours and roads, and few serious jams.

Singapore reason to orderly urban transport is because of its facilities, reasonable structure, high quality design in place of the three-dimensional traffic network. Singapore Ministry of Transportation under the Land Transport Authority of Singapore as a road traffic managers to develop a strict checking mechanism responsible for international standard road design and road safety management, checking whether vehicles sold in compliance with local safety standards, and periodically check whether the vehicle comply with the standard. Singapore's two public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT companies have started using advanced automated fleet management system, which can instantly determine the exact location of buses on the road in order to more effectively schedule trips in the event of emergency situations can react immediately.

Electronic toll collection system established in 1998 in Singapore contributed in regulating traffic areas. Singapore-registered cars and motorcycles are equipped with electronic card reader, as long as the cash smart card into the reader, the car passing instant electronic gates, the radio signal on the door will be deducted from the cost of the smart card. If you forget to insert the card in the card reader or enough money, it will send a signal to remind the reader, with automatic recognition of electronic gates will record the location and time of the offending car, the owner will receive a ticket shortly after. Currently, Singapore parking lot began to introduce electronic toll collection system.  Electronic toll collection system is based on the maximum benefit of different sections, time, and vehicles of different charges. When heavy traffic, road use fees will be higner, taking the road more large vehicles will be charge higner fees. For instance, Singapore's most famous shopping street - Orchard Road, because of too many vehicles in recent years, the government’s pursuit to reduce car traffic is by increasing tolls.

Strict punishment system also ensures the traffic order in Singapore. In addition to traffic violators paying fines, revocation of driver's license may also face penalties and even jail. Drivers that ran a red light, not wearing a seatbelt and parking chaos and other illegal behavior will be penalized or fined; drink or drug driving in addition to being the driver of points and fines, will be sentenced to six months imprisonment; repeated violations will face tougher penalties.

The main reason for the "Too many vehicles"

Vehicles is plays a more and more important role in people’s life. Not only for move people or move cargo.  People depend on transport. They have a need for a means of transport that gives them freedom to exercise their needs and desires during transportation. People have no time, are lazy, can´t walk, hate crowded, and enjoy driving. Or, better laid out.  People lack of time for the public transportation.  This is fairly recognized as a modern problem. People are always want their lives become more and more efficiently, cause time is money.  But public transportation always have to wait, except this, the route of the not personalized, since the benefits of the car is not for you alone, it takes a long time to get from one place to the other.  While if you own your car, you can go more places in less time. In addition, some people think the speed of public transport always too slow.  This is probably the main reason modern societies require cars.