Why Singapore is a haven for motorists

SINGAPORE—After four years, I find myself here again covering the 10th Subaru Palm Challenge where competitors brave the elements holding onto a Subaru Impreza for over three days.

The event, presented together with Media Corp., and sponsored by Maybank, Shell Fuels and Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway (part of the Shangri-La Group), started last Saturday at 1 p.m. at the upscale Ngee Ann City Civic Center Shopping Complex along fashionable Orchard Road in the heart of Singapore.

The record is over 81 hours, and the event has always been won by a Singaporean, perhaps due to the fact that the Singaporean competitors have the home court advantage.

Ten Filipinos are competing at this event, and as of the time of this writing, four remain after some of the worst rains and thurderstorms/lightning flashes in the history of the competition. Who will win? You’ll find out next week.

Subaru/Motor Image is on a roll as of late: the company’s Forester compact SUV is currently number one in the segment, according to a fellow Japanese brand competitor. In a few weeks, we will see the launch of the all-new Legacy executive sports sedan and the Outback cross-over.

iFans will be disappointed to know, however, that the all-new Legacy will be ditching the infamous four-cylinder turbocharged powerplant in lieu of a more traditional six-cylinder boxer engine. This is in keeping with changes in the US market where the local Philippine market gets their allocation from being a fellow left-hand drive market plus with very similar Americanized tastes.

Many local enthusiasts who have graduated from a traditional c-segment platform, popular for tuning, modifications and motorsports, have chosen the Legacy as their upgraded and more mature vehicle because the driving pleasure and experience is still first rate, and it remains highly tuneable with various aftermarket performance and aesthetic modifications.

Possible surprise

The possible surprise though during the launch of these two vehicles is a sneak peek (or even full-unveiling) of the Forester tS (tuned by STI), which was revealed by Yoshio Hirakawa at an exclusive interview with the Inquirer a few months back during the launch of the Subaru XV tS in Malaysia.

Rumored to have revised suspension and bigger 19-inch wheels and improved brakes along with a useful bump in power, the Forester tS was extensively developed at the famous Nurburgrning Nordschleife (Northern Loop) where Fuji Heavy Industries and STI maintain a technical research and development center.

The Japanese brand has been testing extensively on the German circuit for over two decades and compete regularly at the Nurburgring 24-Hour VLN race. Unfortunately, it is still uncertain whether the Forester tS variant will even reach the Philippines or other export markets.

Seeing Singapore, however, after four years reveals many changes. Many of the buildings are new, particularly along the reclaimed uptown business district near the famous Marina Bay Sands area.

The Singapore MRT system has improved vastly and gained far wider acceptance with the public, which I believe has helped improve the traffic from four years earlier. This is a country where cars and road use are taxed heavily, and before you can buy a car, you need to acquire or bid for a COE, or Certificate of Entitlement, which often costs as much as the car you are buying.

For reference, current COE prices range from about 65,000 Singapore dollars for Category A vehicles to just under 80,0000 Singapore dollars for Open Category Vehicles. Hence, you’ll see more luxury cars here in Singapore than regular cars because it makes more sense to get a luxury car due to COE pricing.

I constantly find myself rubber-necking at Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Maseratis, Bentleys, Aston Martins and so many more as they blat down Orchard Road.

And what does the heavily taxed Singaporean motorist get? In a sense, things work properly. All traffic lights throughout the city are in the process of being digitally linked so traffic flow is better controlled. The roads are impressive, and getting wider. Of course parking remains to be a premium but that’s the job of the private sector as much as the government.

Hence, along Orchard Road and throughout strategic locations that border entrances to busy business and commercial districts, there are digital signs showing parking slots available in the major buildings and shopping centers in that area.

Along Orchard Road, all the major shopping malls are connected underground to help facilitate better, more convenient movement through the legendary district without getting exposed to the elements.

It’s funny how so much can change in 50 years. My brother-in-law Stanley, who has lived and worked in Singapore for almost all of his adult life, said that in the ’50s, Singapore was dirt poor, had nothing, and looked to countries like the Philippines, which was slowly becoming a major economic Asian powerhouse.

Look at us now. What happened? We’re losing P2 billion a day due to traffic, our government is on a witch hunt for corruption, and the political mudslinging circus has begun as a run-up to the next presidential elections. Shouldn’t the government be focusing on improving traffic, improving safety and security, and launching more infrastructure projects instead of making itself look good for the next elections?

Bad traffic

Citi recently announced that on top of the P2 billion per day we’re losing due to low productivity from bad traffic, we’re also going to lose about P340 billion due to spoilage/wastage and pilferage that is caused by the massive traffic jams.

With Christmas very much in the air (I feel a cold chill every morning, partly because of the traffic I know that’s coming on top of the cold breeze), I can only hope and pray for things not to get too bad.

It’s tough to live in Singapore. The cost of living is high. People are always in a rush. Government regulates and controls almost everything. But things work here. Unlike back home. Unfortunately.

No wonder more and more Filipino talents are leaving for greener pastures like Singapore, even if the upkeep is far higher. Because, according to an OFW I spoke to here, things are more predictable and the government really looks after you. Can we say that about the P-Noy administration?

For comments, e-mail botchilah@yahoo.com.