LTA’S STAND ON COE CONTRADICTORY

THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) has thus far resisted pressure from Singapore motorists to extend the validity of certificates of entitlement (COEs) from 10 years to 20.

LTA believes the 10-year validity is justified, as it gives motorists the opportunity to redistribute their deregistered vehicles’ COEs to prospective vehicle owners (“Benefits of 10-year COE validity”; last Monday).

This idea is workable if it is mandatory for vehicle owners to deregister their vehicles when the 10-year period is up, and they are prohibited from buying another vehicle, whether new or used.

This should also apply to people who deregister their vehicles before the 10-year period is over.

But LTA contradicts itself when it lets vehicle owners extend their COEs by another five or 10 years by paying the prevailing quota premium (PQP).

I was one of several people who have written to The Straits Times Forum asking LTA to extend the COE tenure. LTA stood firm, citing road congestion among several reasons.

How is road congestion addressed if motorists are prepared to pay the PQP, extending their vehicle COEs by up to 10 years?

LTA should consider the public’s feedback and have open discussions with them.

Pavithran Vidyadharan