Thanks ADB but it will take more than $2.8m to solve Asia's worsening transport crisis

Ambling through the narrow streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter a few weeks ago, I pondered how pleasant it was that Vietnam's capital was yet to be afflicted by the kind of traffic gridlock that blights most other developing Asian cities (take your pick from Bangkok, Dhaka, KL, Jakarta, Manila, Mumbai) .

But, reading a story in the Viet Nam News about the resilience of the latest car sales figures, I wondered what would happen if just 5 out of 100 motorbike users upgrade to a car in the next few years - with hardly any proper on or off-street parking and no major bypasses, traffic flow in Hanoi would be paralysed.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has just released a new report, which argues that "rapid urbanization and an unprecedented increase in private motorized transport, with some cities in the region experiencing a doubling of their fleets every two to three years, is creating an urban crisis".

The ADB is encouraging Asian governments to take the sort of approach used in Singapore, Hong Kong or Seoul, fostering "access" rather than just "mobility" by making it more expensive for people to own private vehicles and easier and more efficient for them to use public transport.

The ADB's lofty aim is to "develop energy-efficient, clean, and inclusive urban transport systems that ensure accessibility for all".

That's great rhetoric. But how much money is the caring, sharing ADB willing to put behind this ambitious new strategy?

A measly $2.8m.

Yes, that's not a typo, that's $2.8m. Better get ready for more traffic jams, then.

Pic of Dhaka jam courtesy of Flickr user joiseyshowaa.

Malaysia the real beneficiary from Singapore National Day

Even though Singapore was unceremoniously booted out of its short-lived union with Malaysia, it is ironically Malaysia that could be the major beneficiary of Singapore's heavily-orchestrated National Day celebrations this weekend.

Singaporeans like to joke that the annual National Day holiday is a great opportunity to get away to Malaysia and, according to the Straits Times, they are not wrong.

The newspaper of record is warning of heavy traffic this weekend at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, which connect Singapore to Malaysia over the straits of Johor, as Singaporeans exit en masse.

As if to ram the point home, the Straits Times explains that departing traffic will be at its worst on Thursday, while arrivals will peak on Sunday (National Day) and Monday.

While many Singaporeans may prefer to see their relatives in Malaysia or chow down on some cheap seafood at an idyllic Malaysia beach, I for one will be staying in town, admiring the might of the Singapore military on display.