Below is an article taken from Today online:
DO YOU want more direct bus services, or would you rather have services which call at more stops in your estate? Are there "gaps" - such as insufficient capacity or long waiting times - in the bus network that serves your estate?
From next month, these are some questions the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be asking grassroot leaders and their advisers in all constituencies as it embarks on an island-wide consultation exercise.
"Our aim here is to benefit as many commuters as possible, while maintaining the operators' financial viability," said Transport Minister Raymond Lim yesterday in a dialogue with Bukit Panjang residents.
The LTA - which will take over the role of central bus network planner from the two bus operators - hopes to complete the consultation exercise by next March next year.
As previous surveys have shown that commuters are satisfied with the overall bus system, Mr Lim said the current bus network "is a fairly good and comprehensive one". So he is against the idea of a major overhaul of the existing system as it may be lead to people "who are worse off", but he recognised that "improvements can still be made".
One resident lamented yesterday that it takes her children three hours each day to travel between Bukit Panjang, in the north-west, to Nanyang Technological University as there are no direct bus services.
This anecdote highlighted the different views within a community, said Mr Lim. Some residents may want more direct bus services, but this could result in fewer bus stops along the route and translates into a longer walk to bus stops for other residents, he added.
This is why the LTA needs to "get a feel" of how to improve bus services here. "Really, there is no right or wrong answer here. Different people have different needs and they want it done differently," said Mr Lim.
Another resident, Ms Lim Ai Kheng, asked if the new underground Bukit Panjang MRT station could be integrated with existing LRT station and bus interchange nearby. As it stands, the proposed MRT station site is 120 metres away from the LRT station.
Mr Lim replied that the authorities are working closely to bring all three transport nodes together but added that there are certain constraints for the area.
First, railway alignment is not able to swing sharply to meet Bukit Panjang LRT station and yet be able to run to the present bus interchange at Woodlands Road within a short distance.
Second, there are other planning considerations for the land in the area.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, who is MP for Bukit Panjang, told reporters later that the MPs who look after various parts of the town had submitted proposals to the authorities to bring the three transport nodes closer.
One is to relocate the bus interchange between the underground MRT station and LRT station, and so reduce the walking distance between the three transport nodes to 70 metres. Another is to house the three modes under one roof, which Dr Teo admits will be "more costly".
The authorities are still considering the proposals but Mr Lim had earlier stressed to residents: "Whenever possible, we will try our best to integrate these three things (MRT, LRT and bus) because it will make it much more convenient for people."
