Contextual Research: Existing Transport

Findings

• Public Transportation
• Public Bus
• Bus interchanges generally built near MRT stations
• Peak Hour Congestion
• Daily Ridership: 3 million (2010)
• Inconsistent timings during off peak hours
• Waiting times: Up to 30 minutes
• Impractical for short distances
• Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
• Each station serves an area of about 8 km^2

• Distance between area served and MRT station: <4 km.
• Peak Hour Congestion
• Daily Ridership: 2.069 million (2010)
• Light Rapid Transit (LRT)
• Connects small residential areas to MRT
• Only exists in certain neighbourhoods
• Peak Hour Congestion
• Taxi
• High cost
• Does not escape peak hour congestion on roads
• Private Transportation
• Car
• Private Car Ownership: 497 000 (2009)
• High Cost
• Toyota Corolla Altis: S$103 388 (sgCarMart, 2011. New Toyota Corolla Altis Latest Car Price & Prices Singapore. [online] Available at: <http://www.sgcarmart.com/new_cars/newcars_pricing.php?CarCode=10526> [Accessed 20 September 2011]
• Petrol, maintenance, other charges
• Parking, congestion
• Impractical for short distance travel
• Motorcycle/Bicycle
• Lack of safety on tight and congested roads
• Lack of safety culture among drivers of other vehicles
• Lack of supporting infrastructure
• Bicycle parking
• Bicycle lanes
• Rampant theft issue
• Restrictive laws
• Cycling only legal on roads and bicycle lanes in public parks
• Strict laws governing vehicle eligibility for public use

Implications

• Peak hour traffic and congestion lead to safety and congestion issues on roads, which are tightly constructed due to lack of space.
• Many users concerned with theft. The solution should be able to be securely parked, or be made portable. 

Contextual Research: Singapore

Findings

• Population: 4.84 million (2010 estimate)
• Land Area: 687 km^2
• Population Density: 7 045 people/km^2 (world rank: 3rd) (2010 estimate)
• Climate:
• Temperature: 25-35 deg C
• Humidity: 65-95%
• Average weather: Hot and sunny, heavy showers
• Housing: High-rise apartmentsLand use distribution:
  Green: Residential
  Blue: Commercial
  Yellow: Industrial
  Grey: Others

Implications

• Design will need to consider climate conditions, such as heat and humidity, as well as rain. This design should either shelter the user from rain, or allow the user to accommodate existing methods of rain protection, such as an umbrella, raincoat, or poncho.
  

Background

The majority of the people living in Singapore take public transportation for work and school. They typically take public shuttle buses from their homes to their nearest MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) station. However, during the peak hour, the waiting period for public shuttle buses may be long, and these buses are often overcrowded.

Some people choose to cycle to the nearest MRT station rather than waiting for the public shuttle buses. The main problem these cyclists face is a lack of infrastructure support, including the lack of bicycle lanes as well as the shortage of parking space for these bicycles. Although there are some foldable bicycles in the market, many are still not compact enough to be brought into public buses and trains.

I intend to approach this topic from the perspective of users through their current habits and needs, and then design around those needs. With this approach, I intend to start the research phase by analysing the different users who use public transport, especially trains. These possible users include students, housewives, and the elderly. Parts of this analysis include types of travel used, distances travelled, times of the day travelled, tangible problems (e.g. infrastructure, geography), intangible problems (e.g. psychological barriers), as well as other relevant areas of research.