A: The average travel speeds on these alternative routes during the evening peak period are still acceptable and traffic is flowing, notwithstanding the need for traffic to stop at a few traffic lights. There is spare capacity on these roads to accommodate some increase in traffic, and these roads will not become gridlock like what the congested stretch of the CTE is already today. Using the MRT is a good alternative as it does not compete for the same road space as cars, and I will encourage those who can, to consider this alternate mode of travel.

A: The KPE serves the northeastern sector and can help to divert some of the CTE traffic bound for this sector. But, by and large, a significant portion of the CTE traffic is bound for the northern sector, to Ang Mo Kio, Yishun and Woodlands. Congestion on the northbound CTE in the evenings has persisted since 2000, and in spite of the additional traffic lane provided in 2002, traffic condition has continued to deteriorate. We cannot afford to wait until 2007, when the first phase of the KPE is completed. However, when the KPE is opened, we will, as part of our process, review and adjust the ERP rates for the CTE accordingly, based on the traffic conditions.