Found this load of crap on the Electronic Forum of the Stooge Times on 8th Dec. Frankly, I wonder if the guys at LTA are going to laugh or cry.

Monthly ERP bills can do away with CashCard hassle With the implementation of a growing number of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries, more and more motorists are being fined for having insufficient funds in their CashCards and forgetting to insert their cards in the in-vehicle unit, among other reasons. To avoid being fined, many motorists slow down or stop their vehicles before ERP gantries to insert their cards if they had forgotten to do so. This is dangerous. Recently, I went past an ERP gantry with my card not inserted fully in the in-vehicle unit. I did not insert it fully because the unit emitted a constant beeping sound to remind me that my card had a low residual value. By the time I realised the card was not inserted fully, it was too late and I believe I will receive a ‘fine’ letter from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) very soon. The LTA should look into other alternatives for deduction of ERP fees, other than the Easi-ERP scheme, which is applicable only to SingTel subscribers. Motorists should be allowed to drive with full concentration on the road, without having to worry about things like having insufficient funds in their CashCards. With the constant deduction of ERP charges from CashCards, it makes sense for the LTA to implement schemes for all motorists. How about having monthly ERP bills sent to the registered owners of cars? The LTA should have records of the vehicles that go past ERP gantries. Of course, these schemes should automatically include every vehicle owner, but with an opt-out clause. Here are some recommendations for the scheme: There should be a minimum monthly subscription fee of, say, $10. ERP transactions will first be deducted from this minimum sum. Any extra amount will be charged during billing date. Giro payments should be allowed. Each person should have only one account, regardless of the number of vehicles owned. Any amount in the minimum sum that has not been used can be rolled over to the next month. Chow Chee Chang

Is this guy closely related to Starfish in Taxonomy?

It is another classic example of ‘Baby Singaporeans’ who obviously can’t take care of themselves but know only how to whine to the gover-min to change their diapers and wipe their asses.

For goodness sake, it is your own responsibility to:

1. insert the cashcard properly into the IU and remember to have it in the IU when travelling to areas with an operating ERP;
2. have sufficient funds in your cashcard;
3. concentrate fully on the road and not be distracted by whatever other concerns of your life when operating your vehicle; and
4. live with your mistake and pay the fine and not stop the car in the middle of the road, turning yourself into a nuisance and a safety hazard to other road users!

None of his blasted suggestions make any sense because it is never to the advantage of any service provider to have a billing system. The trend has always been move towards a ‘pay first, use later’ cashless / card system. While a ‘use first, pay later’ system benefits the consumer (like your credit card), a ‘pay first, use later’ system technically cuts down on cost for the billing infrastructure in place, whereby the reduced overheads should technically benefit the consumer in the long run.

While some ignorant people can be forgiven for failing to understand such simple concepts, and failing to realize that the LTA has repeatedly claimed to be non-profitable * erhem *, it is unforgiveable for anyone to actually have the gall to suggest that cost be incurred by the LTA – and indirectly taxpayers like you and I – so that he needs not be concerned with matters which is his own responsibility!

Get a kriffing life, Chow. No wonder some are led to believe that even our own political lea-duhs have generally a low opinion about their fellow Singaporeans. You aren’t helping by coming up with such a dumb idea.

You are dumb. You are loser!