New panel to make transport more family-friendly
Singapore is stepping up a gear towards a car-lite future with the formation of a new panel to study how public transport can be easier on children and the elderly.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health Lam Pin Min revealed the new panel in a Facebook post yesterday.
"My aspiration is that families who now own cars because they need to ferry their children or their elderly parents, will not need to do so any more in the future," he said.
The new Family-Friendly Transport Advisory Panel will be co-chaired by Public Transport Council (PTC) chairman Richard Magnus and Sitoh Yih Pin, chairman for the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport.
The panel will be made up of representatives from "diverse backgrounds" who will consult widely, said Dr Lam.
CHILDREN & ELDERLY
Mr Magnus said the panel will allow for closer attention to be paid to the needs of commuters, especially children and the elderly.
Public transport facilities should be "user-friendly and accessible for commuters with various needs" as Singapore moves towards its car-lite vision, the Land Transport Authority said last year when it announced a slew of inclusive and family-friendly initiatives.
These included allowing open strollers on public buses here, a move which was introduced in April. A restraint system to secure strollers is also expected to be tested this year.
New bus interchanges and integrated transport hubs will also feature nursing rooms. In three years, all buses will be wheelchair-accessible, up from 92 per cent now.
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