I mean, I knew it was coming, but I was holding out to that little bit of hope that it would not happen.
While we don't know how exactly the system will be implemented just as yet, I fear that this new GPS-based ERP tracking system could actually spell the end of motoring journalism as we know it in Singapore.
When we have cars to test and review, we try to drive them around for as much as possible, going to as many different places as we can, whether it be to take photos, or simply to see how the car copes with different types of road conditions, be it highway, city or even the occasional rural twisty road.
We do try our utmost to go around during non-peak hours, either in the middle of the afternoon (when people are working), or late in the night/early morning (when people are sleeping).
However, if the Government decides it wants to charge vehicles on a per use basis, for every road at every hour, then unfortunately, those days of driving cars in the dead of the night or in the afternoon blazing sun, just to see how it fares, will soon be over. Or at least it would be exorbitantly expensive to do so.
I completely understand the rationale behind this system. Singapore is small, we can't have too many cars overcrowding our island. However, I do hope that the Government at least consider those who actually need to use private transport in their jobs when they implement the new system.
I know that there will always be cynics who deride our profession as useless and unnecessary, and I will never be able to change their opinion, nor will I attempt to. Everyone's entitled to their own views, within reason of course.
But, if you're on this website, chances are, you probably have some interest in cars. And I'm sure you would appreciate the fact that we do offer a service when we write reviews, whether it be to provide useful information on your next purchase, or simply as an interesting read on cars that you might not have the chance to experience.
If the day comes when the joy of driving is killed in Singapore, it would make car enthusiasts here very sad indeed.
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