Towards sustainable urban transport in Singapore: Policy instruments and mobility trends

In this study, we review a series of policy instruments for sustainable transport in Singapore, a city-state with significant land constraints and rapid population and economic growth. We analyze three pillars of Singapore's approach to sustainable transport: reducing car dependency, promoting public transport, and integrated land use and transport planning. We summarize three directions guiding the evolution of transport policies in Singapore: smartness, inclusiveness, and greenness. Drawing on official annual transport statistics, we evaluate the effect of transport policies on mobility patterns of Singapore residents. We find that the policy package of the government has successfully constrained car dependency, promoted public transit use, mitigated road congestion, and maintained affordable transit fares in Singapore. The research findings have significant policy implications for Singapore to meet its mobility needs in the future, and for other cities to develop their own strategies for sustainable transport, especially for high-density, rapid expanding Asian cities.