Yesterday was the first working day after it opened.
What was supposed to ease the traffic congestion and reduce the traveling time for motorists and drivers ended up causing more congestion.
A friend of mine complained to me that she took one hour twenty minutes to reach her office. She was one and a half hour late for work. A few others were all late for work by at least an hour. Some even managed to choked up a taxi fare of $50. There's even one who choked up $74 from a Facebook post.
People began to question what's the use of constructing an expressway that causes more jam. And being built undersea, it came with a heavy price tag, $4.3 billion dollar.
Many people were venting their anger and frustration over being stuck in the jam, unclear signages and lack of planning in traffic flow. And they got new names for it. Most Congested Expressway, Messy congested expressway, Massive Congested Expressway and what have you.
When my cousin Whatsapp me that he took one and a half hour to reach his office, I was like "Huh?"
The first thing that came to my mind was the drivers are not familiar with the new road and redirection causing the traffic to slow down. Or too many drivers trying out the new expressway. After all, everyone is interested and curious about new things.
But then it's the holiday season and many people are on leave or overseas. By right, there should be fewer cars.
So what really caused the problem?
News about the opening of MCE on 29 Dec 2013 was announced on 13 Nov 2013. Between 13 Nov to 29 Dec 2013, there were probably advertisements on newspapers announcing the changes in routes, although I couldn't recall seeing any.
Since this is a new route, most drivers are likely to be confused and unsure which route to take. In anticipation of this, LTA has deployed staff at the expressway to give directions.
On the opening day, a few drivers were interviewed and expressed favorable feedback about the MCE. There was a driver who claimed he shaved off 5 minutes of his traveling time compared to the old route he took.
On 30 Dec 2013, a working day, there was a massive jam.
To ease the congestion problem, LTA used social media platform like Twitter to provide information and answer questions.
And today, they have published road directions on which routes to take for the various destinations.
What can you learn from this?
1. Introduce changes slowly.
The opening of MCE resulted in too many changes in the routine of drivers which caused confusion. The drivers are also scared of taking the wrong route and ending up further away from their destinations. Instead of introducing all the changes at the same time, would it be better to plan the changes in stages? For example, start the new route with drivers going toward the west first. Then next inform drivers going to CBD of the new changes. This way, drivers will not be confused by all the changes and will not cause congestion by all heading toward the same direction.
2. Give options
Give drivers the option to use the existing routes for a period before closing up the exits.
3. Use the right media
Was the use of announcement of MCE on newspaper effective in communicating the changes to drivers? Is there a way to measure how many drivers actually saw the announcement and are clear about the changes? Could radio be a more effective media?
How helpful was Twitter in disseminating information to drivers? How many drivers are following LTA on Twitter? Would a radio announcement be more effective?
4. Murphy's Law
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. No matter how well planned and executed your actions, things can go wrong. You have to be flexible. So have a Plan B, Plan C, Plan D.
5. Help by not helping
Sometimes, your best intention may not be the best solution. By deploying staff at the expressway to help divert and channel traffic, it made the congestion worse as drivers were slowing down or stopping to ask for direction. If LTA had introduced the changes in stages and keeping the existing routes open for a period, could it be better than doing this?