Singapore will ban the addition of private cars on the road in 2018.
The Guardian reports that the growth cap for passenger cars and motorcycles will be cut from 0.25% a year to zero from February 2018 according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Currently, Singapore has a quota on the number of vehicles sold to reduce traffic. Those wanting to buy a vehicle must purchase a ‘certificate of entitlement’. Valid for 10 years, the average cost of the certificate is Sg$50,000, making Singapore one of the most expensive countries to buy a vehicle.
Goods vehicles and busses will not be capped and will be allowed to grow in number.
LTA said on Monday that 12% of Singapore’s 277 sq.m land area was taken up by roads resulting in limited room for expansion.
Government statistics suggest there were just over 600,000 vehicles on Singapore’s roads in 2016.
Singapore’s population of 5.56 million has grown nearly 40% since 2000 according to Fortune.
As the vehicle ban comes in, Sg$28bn will be spent on expanding and upgrading the public transport system by the government.
