Singapore: Venice of the East?

Make use of our waterways to ease transport woes
Letter from Kenneth Ong Hin Leong, Today Online 15 Feb 08;

THERE has been much discussion on improving Singapore's public transport recently, culminating with the announcement that the electronic road-pricing network will be widened.

I would like Transport Minister Raymond Lim to revisit the idea of moving people via the waterways, instead of just increasing the number of buses and trains, and extending the MRT lines.

Shenton Way and the soon to be built Marina Bay financial centre are all located close to a pier or the sea. The Singapore River also runs along several areas where population density is quite heavy.

Since the infrastructure is already available, why not encourage Singaporeans to travel by boat from the east to the Central Business District (CBD)?

We have the Bedok and Tanah Merah jetties with ample car parks nearby. They can be used to service residents in Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok, Pasir Ris and Tampines.

We can also build jetties in the Kallang area, not to mention possibility of including new piers in the development plans for Ponggol, where water is featured prominently.

We can also integrate the MRT trains and buses to the jetties such that switching between the different modes of transport would be seamless.

If the idea does take root, it would make Singapore quite a place to live in, a la Venice of the East, perhaps?