Commentary: COE debate should not be about putting cars within everyone’s reach

Singapore's transport debate has traditionally revolved around cars, but Samuel Chng of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities argues that the focus should shift towards people. The COE debate, which centers on the cost and accessibility of private car ownership, fails to capture the true essence of the issue. Cars provide flexibility and ensure daily life remains manageable for families with children, ageing parents, and unexpected needs.

The debate should move beyond the number of cars the city can support and explore how public transport, shared mobility, and private ownership can collaborate to address the need for flexibility without turning it into a requirement to own a car. The concerns about the COE system being dominated by car-leasing companies and the high cost of cars have been raised, but the solution should not be to make cars more affordable for everyone.

Instead, the COE system must maintain limits on vehicle growth while meeting mobility needs, and suggestions like merging categories, allocating COEs based on needs, and creating a separate leasing category are being discussed. However, these changes must be balanced against the overall scarcity of cars and the need to provide credible alternatives to car ownership.

Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.