Earnings Rip-off Plan? (aka ERP)
Yup, that has got to be the real name of that well-known acronym when the gahmen first came up with it! Why can't they realise that the damn thing doesn't solve the root of the freakin problem!! Its getting absolutely sickening the amount of money that those stupid gantries drink up from your cashcards. Its been a long time since I tried the CTE during the morning period. It was the first time ever that I was able to cruise through without having to drop my speed below 60kmh even once on a weekday morning at 830am!
That pleasant surprise soon turned sour when I learned of the reason behind it. Usually a trip past the 2 gantries only hits me for $1.50 at most. This time it burnt $3.25 off me. Mind you, I'm only a 2-wheeler. The 4-wheelers suffer greater financial damage. There were rates like $5 and so on displayed on the digital display before the gantry. Paying these rates on a daily basis is such a massive heartpain. No wonder there were so few vehicles on the CTE....
So where did all these vehicles which usually run the CTE go to? Where else but the normal trunk roads! Those roads have to bear the bulk of the traffic diverted there by the ERP monster. And its not as if even those roads are spared from gantries. Nowadays, even normal trunk roads have gantries. Toa Payoh, Thomson, Bukit Timah, etc. If ERP is supposed to discourage people from using the roads during those timeframes, how else does the gahmen expect these people to get to work and go about their daily livelihoods? They can't possibly just sit tight at home, or all pack into a bus or MRT right?!
Jams on those roads are reaching crazy levels. Sigh, its not like the gahmen is going to think of more creative ways to solve problems besides sucking $$$ off us right? They suck all the $$$ from us and then declare a massive surplus in the coffers, then pretend to be such wonderful & caring politicians by giving us (in the form of rebates) back a fraction of what they sucked from us in the first place. Come on guys, come up with something more creative than that, will ya!
That pleasant surprise soon turned sour when I learned of the reason behind it. Usually a trip past the 2 gantries only hits me for $1.50 at most. This time it burnt $3.25 off me. Mind you, I'm only a 2-wheeler. The 4-wheelers suffer greater financial damage. There were rates like $5 and so on displayed on the digital display before the gantry. Paying these rates on a daily basis is such a massive heartpain. No wonder there were so few vehicles on the CTE....
So where did all these vehicles which usually run the CTE go to? Where else but the normal trunk roads! Those roads have to bear the bulk of the traffic diverted there by the ERP monster. And its not as if even those roads are spared from gantries. Nowadays, even normal trunk roads have gantries. Toa Payoh, Thomson, Bukit Timah, etc. If ERP is supposed to discourage people from using the roads during those timeframes, how else does the gahmen expect these people to get to work and go about their daily livelihoods? They can't possibly just sit tight at home, or all pack into a bus or MRT right?!
Jams on those roads are reaching crazy levels. Sigh, its not like the gahmen is going to think of more creative ways to solve problems besides sucking $$$ off us right? They suck all the $$$ from us and then declare a massive surplus in the coffers, then pretend to be such wonderful & caring politicians by giving us (in the form of rebates) back a fraction of what they sucked from us in the first place. Come on guys, come up with something more creative than that, will ya!
Chronicled by No. 7 Man | 1:18 am
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