(Two) wheeling about on SMRT?

THE figures for average SMRT trainloads are 25 per cent below the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) operating standard for passenger limits (1,200 as compared to 1,600).

But they are beyond commuter comfort.

The official peak hour starts at least half an hour too late (at 7am) to account for the morning crowd.

But there are no plans to increase train frequency earlier.

The durations for next train arrival on information screens are kept within five minutes.

But only because timings six minutes or longer are now blocked out.

As the morning crush on peak-hour trains quashes the last of commuter satisfaction, will passengers welcome city cycling as a transport alternative?

A poll conducted amongst 25 commuters shows there could be potential for development.

Would you bike to beat the hike during the passenger peak?

But it is a road not without obstacles.

“Cycling is more strenuous and takes more time than just taking the train,” said undergraduate Miss Jolene Wong, 24. “And the weather in Singapore is too erratic, one moment it’s sunny and it’s raining the next. Plus we’ll be wet both because of rain and perspiration.”

Miss Wong is part of the 56 per cent of commuters polled who are hesitant to travel by bike, most of whom are put off by the “humid weather” and “rain.”

However, there are others who see the benefits cycling offers as a mode of transport.

A Kayse in Point: Service executive Ms Jenny Ho, 42, believes “cycling can be convenient depending on your travelling period.”

Said Ms Ho, “Peak periods for trains are actually conducive for cycling because the weather is cooler at those times as the sun is low. Rain is a problem, but we can circumvent the packed trains in fair weather.”

Do you think the LTA should set up national bike routes cum a bike share system as in Copenhagen?

But it seems locals may need a push to start pedalling – 76 per cent of participants think the LTA should set up national bike routes and a bike share system modelled after the one in Copenhagen to motivate commuters.

Said sales executive Mr Jacob Lim, 33, “Right now there are no routes for cyclists, few places to park bicycles, rental stations are few and far between, and it’s quite expensive to rent a bike for a day.”

If such facilities are realised, Mr Lim is confident Singaporeans will hop on the cycling bandwagon.

“If it already is working so well in Copenhagen and other European areas like Paris, why not Singapore? It’d take us a much shorter time to cycle to and fro because we’re so small,” he said.

And as further incentive for “kiasu Singaporeans,” homemaker Mrs Fiona Goh, 36, reckons “it may be cheaper than taking the train.”

Service executive Ms Jenny Ho, 42, is part of the 44 per cent of commuters who bike to beat the hike during the passenger peak.

The morning crush onboard SMRT trains even before the official peak hour. (Photo credit: Catherine Tan and The Straits Times)

2010 Fifar World Cup: Would you go the distance?

FIVE months, 64 matches, three bidders, 209 territories, $100 million, zero (signals from Malaysian national broadcaster) RTM 1.

From June 11 to July 11, these numbers will determine if Singaporeans get to view the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa on their TV screens.

Yet, none figure in their favour.

With commercialism standing between man and his sport, how far are local soccer enthusiasts willing to go for a slice of the action?

A poll conducted amongst 25 Fifa World Cup fans shows most will take it to the endline.

Would you pay your share of the $100 million?

Because the World Cup is “the biggest soccer event” for many of them, eighty-four per cent are willing to pay the $85 million price hike from the 2006 World Cup for the tournament to be broadcasted in Singapore.

Said IT executive Mr Goh Hoon Tat, 35, “It’s like in the Heineken commercial where guys go girly over a walk-in fridge of beer. We are as crazy about soccer. Of course we’ll pay.”

Some even go so far as to say that “price will never stand in the way.”

A Kayse in Point: Businessman Mr Tan C P, 45, who has watched nine World Cups as a loyal fan since the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.

“It’s like women and their handbags. Look at how much they fork out for a Hermes,” he said.

“It’s ridiculous, but they (Fifa) know how strong their product is.”

If Singapore faces a TV blackout, will you travel out of the country (e.g. to Malaysia) to watch the tournament?

And it seems the World Cup boasts strength enough to pull fans like Mr Tan across the Causeway should the joint bid eventually fail.

Sixty per cent of those polled will travel out of the country to watch the World Cup in coffee shops or at the homes of relatives and friends in Malaysia.

Said Mr Fredrick Teo, 24, a university undergraduate, “The World Cup is an event no true soccer fan would miss – especially the four key matches.”

Mr Teo plans on getting together his fellow England and Spain supporters on a few trips to Johor Bahru to watch their teams play if Singapore does not secure broadcasting rights.

Others who will stay put are counting on carrying the ball – locking on to signals of Indonesian broadcasts or catching live video streaming and video compilations of match highlights.

Do you expect the telcos will overcome the impasse and bring the 19^th Fifa World Cup to Singapore?

However, 92 per cent of poll participants expect the joint bid of Singtel and StarHub as well as MediaCorp’s bid for the four critical games to come through.

While some like Daniel Ong, 20, a polytechnic student, worry that they may face a fate similar to Israeli TV stations that were denied broadcasting rights, majority think it is “impossible.”

Said Jason Wong, 33, “Not broadcasting the World Cup would be monumental. It is equivalent to Singapore not airing the National Day Parade.

“If Singtel can secure the English Premier League broadcast rights for $400 million, they can surely pay for the World Cup.”

Businessman Mr Tan C P, 45, will go across the Causeway to catch the Fifa action should the joint bid eventually fail.

Reflections on PBL II

Three weeks left and PBL has indeed served us well as an organised, efficient and comprehensive approach to projects with FILA (see previous Reflections on PBL). We have become accustomed to the process and can now draw up a chart in half the time we needed before.

With PBL, we see no boundaries in the project and are therefore always improving on it. As such, the work norm has evolved from "meeting requirements" to "better" - pushing us to realise our website's true potential. Also, PBL encourages sharing amongst classmates, which promotes giving and taking, and allows us to learn from one another on top of the facilitator.

However, it is unnecessary for FILA to be applied for all problems as the steps involved are sometimes, few, plain and straightforward, and we waste time mulling over ways to fill in the chart in such circumstances.

Idol 4: Vote or veto?

THE average viewership of Singapore Idol this season was already a dismal 182,000 – less than half of the figure for its 2004 debut.

And now the Sezairi-Sylvia tug-of-war has resulted in a disgruntled audience rife with protests against the show’s supposed third of a kind.

Will their dissatisfaction be catalyst to the fall of a future run?

A poll conducted amongst 25 viewers of this season shows it is likely to be so.

As a viewer of Singapore Idol 3, will you watch Singapore Idol 4?

Sixty-four per cent of Singapore Idol 3 viewers will not watch the fourth installment if it airs, many of them citing “another male, Malay Idol” as the major turnoff.

A Kayse in Point: marketing executive Ms Ho Choi Leng, 37, who has been following the Idol series since its inaugural cycle.

Said Ms Ho, “The winners all share the same image. They are young, boyish, and we can’t help but notice, Malay – not as a race, but as a characteristic.

“Competition is becoming irrelevant because three Idols who are so alike one another is really just one time too many.”

Echoing her sentiments, sales promoter Mr Daniel Fong, 29, thinks that the recent crowning adds “a less than desirable tag to the title,” which has “lost its prestige.”

Do you think people will watch Singapore Idol 4?

He is part of the 76 per cent of viewers polled who do not think people will watch a Singapore Idol 4.

“It’s become uninteresting because it’s predictable. If I do tune in to the next season, it would be during the finale to see if the new Idol fits the mould of his three predecessors,” he said.

However, Miss Shermaine Lim, 22, a university undergraduate, of minority vote will continue watching Singapore Idol because success in the music industry is also “based largely on popularity.”

Said Miss Lim, “To do well as an artiste, you must depend on the number of so called “votes” you get, which is the approval of the public.

“The voting component therefore creates a very realistic scenario, that’s why I like to watch it.”

But to others, this “public” is poorly represented by the voting population.

Deterred from voting

IT executive Mr Steven Koh, 33, reckons there are too few Singaporeans concerned with voting to stand for those who do have an Idol they support.

As such, he believes that the programme has become limited to finalists who belong to a community with “strong cultural values to show their support,” and will thus produce “cookie-cutter” Singapore Idols.

Said Mr Koh, “The past seasons have proven that the local culture cannot support this programme because most Singaporeans are passive audiences.

“We don’t really participate, and now that more people are unhappy about the results, it will deter them from voting if there’s another round.”

Student Vanessa Tay, 18, is part of the 64 per cent of Singapore Idol 3 viewers who will not continue watching Singapore Idol 4.

Singapore Idol 2009, Sezairi Sezali (right), whose win has sparked off waves of protest against the show, and first runner-up Sylvia Ratonel (Photo credit: Mr Lim)