Transport Planning and Modelling

In Transport Planning, two areas have been actively pursued: (1) development of appropriate local planning parameters, and (2) study and modelling of travel behaviour.

Planning parameters developed for application in western countries have been used in many Asian cities for the lack of more suitable ones. However, these parameters are often inappropriate because of differences in driver behaviour, public transport and car ownership levels, as well as other local conditions. Such differences can result in poorly planned facilities. Several of the Centre's projects have investigated the applicability of western planning standards to this region and established appropriate planning parameters for local conditions. For example, CTS has developed trip and parking generation rates for major land uses in Singapore; passenger car equivalents of various types of vehicles for Singapore expressways and arterial roads, and capacity estimates of different categories of Singapore roads.

The study of travel behaviour concentrates on assessing effects of transport policies on travel pattern, understanding traveller mode choice and monitoring changes in travel behaviour. CTS will be undertaking research into the transport requirements of an ageing population in Singapore because this segment of the population has been projected to increase significantly in the next three decades.

Traffic Management and Control

Research in Traffic Management and Control focuses on congestion management and public transport service. In congestion management, the emphasis is on traffic flow analysis and road pricing. The key issues of concern are prediction of traffic conditions (i.e. speed or travel time) associated with different volumes of traffic; and identifying price elasticity for the purpose of charging road usage. To address the first issue, CTS has developed traffic speed-flow relationships for local expressways and arterial roads. These will also be used in the evaluation and planning of new road networks. To address the second issue, research will focus initially on establishing the value of travel time for work trips in Singapore. This may be extended to cover other trip purposes in future.

Public transport is of critical importance to the development of a world class land transport system in Singapore which is a stated objective of the Government. The emphasis here is on applications of advanced technologies to improve public transport service levels, and formulating indices of service performance for bench-marking and evaluation of service improvements.

Applications of Advanced Technologies in Transportation

The aim of investigations in Applications of Advanced Technologies in transportation is directed at obtaining enhanced and efficient solutions to transport problems that are difficult or impossible to solve through traditional transport engineering techniques. Advances in microelectronics and telecommunications offer potential new solutions to transport problems not previously feasible. Tapping such technologies offers an exciting area of transport research. Current research work includes assessing the effectiveness of speed radar cameras in reducing high-speed travel and accidents; development of an intelligent system for airport gate assignment and ground crew scheduling; the potential of telecommuting in reducing traffic congestion in Singapore; the use of image processing technology in data collection and incident management; as well as the development of an advanced traveller information system for users of major travel modes.


Pavement Material and Technology

The emphasis of research in Pavement Materials and Technology is mainly on the characterisation of non-conventional materials suitable for use in pavements in Singapore and the region. These materials include wastes and industrial by-products. The use of such materials in pavements provides an environmentally-friendly way of disposing such wastes. CTS has successfully completed studies on the use of incinerator residues in asphalt concrete and in paving blocks. In cooperation with a private company, CTS also shown the feasibility of using steel slag aggregates in asphalt road surfacing.

Another area of research is the design of asphalt mixes more suited to the local climate and environment in order to enhance pavement performance and reduce maintenance costs.