An article, with regards to the recent comment on Singaporeans’ productivity by SM Goh, which I sent in to voices@mediacorp.com.sg (TODAY Online) but was not published. Hence… I am publishing it on my blog:

In response to Senior Minister Goh’s views on productivity, and as part of the management in a SME in Singapore, I wholeheartedly agree and also believe that increasing our productivity is the safest and surest bet against the ills of inflation, and competition from foreign labour or talent, etc. As such, I would like to address the issue of traffic congestion during peak hours.

Assuming that from the morning peak hour and evening peak hour traffic gridlock, each commuter spends an additional 30 minutes (conservative estimate) of travelling time due to traffic congestion, this adds up to 2.5 hours for each week, or 10 hours per month. This translates to about 1.25 work day lost to traffic congestion per month. Multiply this by the Average Daily Traffic Volume Entering the City, which is stated as 278,100 for 2008, and we are looking at a potential loss of 347,625 work days per month. I am assuming that the figure from the LTA for the Average Daily Traffic Volume refers to the number of vehicles and that there is only one person in each vehicle. This also excludes the number of people taking public buses.

Apart from the direct hours/workdays lost, traffic congestion also affects productivity for the rest of the workday, due to loss of mood, momentum, motivation, and sometimes increases in frustration. That being said, traffic congestion not only hampers work productivity, but also family time and personal well-being? Rather than spending time idling in a metal box every evening, I’d rather spend more time with my family and loved ones.

Lastly, what about the additional fuel consumed by these 278,100 part-idling vehicles generating exhaust while crawling on the roads and waiting for the Cash Cards in their In-vehicle Units to be debited? No doubt petroleum companies should be grateful for the higher gasoline consumption, but what about the environmental impact? Imagine being able to let 278,100 engines shut down 30 minutes earlier each day?

With Singapore being known for its efficiency, I am confident that the authorities will be able to help recover the productivity lost from traffic congestions.