Letter of transmittal

Singapore Institute of Technology @ DOVER

10 Dover Drive

Singapore

19 November 2015

Professor Brad Blackstone

Centre of Effective Communication

Singapore Institute of Technology @ DOVER

10 Dover Drive

Singapore

Dear Sir

Re: Proposal for introduction of GreenBikeG.O.

This letter is to notify you on our acknowledgement with regards to your letter of authorization. In this letter, we are eager to present you with our proposal for GreenBikeG.O.

In the 1950s, bicycles was a common of transport for Singaporeans. As Singapore progresses, public transport such as Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and buses were introduced, which caused the decline in commuters choosing bicycle as a mode of transport. Public transport has become a part of everyone’s lives and bicycle has been used mainly as a sport or for leisure activity. The amount of new buses and trains being introduced to our public transport is not sustainable compared to the increase in number of commuters (approximately 250,000) yearly.

In line with the aims of Land Transport Master Plan by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), our group would like to propose GreenBikeG.O, to diversify our modes of transport and reducing congestions at the same time. In the “Share a Bicycle” scheme by LTA, plans that are underway were not well publicised and there were areas of concerns unaddressed. To improve the current situation in gaining more awareness in using bicycles as one of the modes of transport, GreenBikeG.O. scheme encompasses additional features which prioritizes user-experience to attract more commuters in cycling. In addition, before the launch of GreenBikeG.O., emphasis will be placed  on publicizing the scheme to allow the public to know how does it work and the benefits of it.

We would like to thank you for your time to read through our proposal, and take GreenBikeG.O. as your consideration to diversify and innovate our modes of transport.

Yours Sincerely,

Leader

On Behalf of Team “GreenBikeG.O.”

Executive Summary

In this proposal, our team will be proposing a new bicycle sharing scheme as an alternate mode of transport for commuters to get from one place to another. GreenBikeG.O, the name of our bicycle sharing scheme utilizes several new features that current bike sharing schemes in Singapore do not offer. To allow our readers to have a better understanding of why bicycle sharing is important for the transport infrastructure in Singapore, this proposal will discuss the current solutions being implemented in Singapore, our proposed solution and its benefits. 

Personal Statement

As an aspiring engineer, I can foresee that in the near future, Singapore will be facing problems in sustaining its’ own transport infrastructure. I am pessimistic because Singapore’s population is growing rapidly each year and there were not many upgrades done to improve the current infrastructure in recent years. The neglected transport infrastructure can be observed by the frequent traffic jams during peak hours and frequent Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) breakdowns. Together with my team, we hope to improve Singapore’s transport infrastructure by introducing a new mode of transport, bicycle sharing scheme.

The role of peer and tutor feedback

My classmates and I were asked to write various articles on our individual blogs which will be part of our e-portfolio at the end of the module. To help one another improve, we commented on each other’s blog to give one another constructive feedback and criticism. I gave my comments to those who wrote a summary of the same article as me as I would have a better understanding of the article and could thus write a more constructive feedback for that person.

In the beginning, I felt that giving others feedback was not productive as I am limited to my own knowledge. Furthermore, my command of English is not very good and I may cause my classmates to make more mistakes in their article rather than helping them. After reading my classmates’ articles multiple times, I realized I could pick up minor mistakes such as subject-verb agreement error and grammatical errors in their articles. I felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness when I noticed them correcting their articles with regards to my comments.

Peer feedback is an effective way of learning as we can learn from one another. Firstly, as we read each other’s take on the same article, we might realize that there are a couple of things we have left out or misinterpreted in our own article. Secondly, by reading another persons’ article, we are indirectly reflecting on our own articles as well. Therefore, peer feedback plays a significant role in my learning process as I am not only limited to learning from my professors but I can learn from my classmates as well.

From this experience, I realized that in order to help one another improve, we need to consistently give one another feedback. This is especially important as every single module that my classmates and I are taking involves project where we have to work in teams. Giving each other constructive feedback will not only allow us to see the problem in 2 different perspective but also allows more solutions to be generated. After all, there is a saying that goes, ‘two brains are better than one’.

Reader Response Final

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New cities’, Cho (2014) claims that infrastructure in cities needs to continuously upgrade despite having many ‘urban challenges’. These obstacles are faced in new cities such as King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). Cho, the name of the author, moved to Saudi Arabia to assess the challenges and to see what companies are doing to overcome them. Cho utilized the Envision Rating System to gauge whether companies are following and maintaining the stringent sustainability standards. Companies that meet these standards are eligible for the Infrastructure 360 Degree Award, which is considered as one of the most prestigious awards in the infrastructure industry. The author also states that a well-planned project will strengthen the community as many working and social environments revolve heavily around infrastructure. 

I agree with the author that well-planned infrastructures are in some ways connected to one another and have many social benefits because the people living in Singapore utilizes many different forms of infrastructure in their daily walks of life. Examples of such infrastructure includes public transportations and schools as most Singaporean youths are taking public transport to schools daily. Public transport infrastructure helps the working adults, too, as many are turning to public transportation due to the high cost in car prices. In a small country such as Singapore, public transport infrastructure is especially important due to the high density in population. Sufficient trains, buses and other means of public transport are imperative in catering for the huge influx of commuters during peak hours.

With an average of 2.9 million commuters daily and an increasing population, it is important that the public transport infrastructure keep improving and upgrading to cater to the high demand. On 7 July 2015, Singapore’s railway system, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), suffered a massive breakdown during evening peak hour where more than 250,000 passengers were affected for at least 3.5 hours. After weeks of investigation, the MRT engineers and Land Transport Authority (LTA) claimed that the breakdown was attributed to poor maintenance of electrical cable. With proper planning and scheduling of maintenance dates, these breakdowns could have been avoided.

The author also mentioned that having a good highway infrastructure could achieve a ‘tangible social benefit’. In order to have a good highway infrastructure, LTA has widened a couple of expressways to ease the congestion during peak hours. An example would be the widening of the busiest expressway, the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) that started in 2011 and ended in 2013. I feel that this is a good initiative made by LTA as many motorists will not be caught in peak hour jams and be able to make it to work on time.  There are many other expressways, namely, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Punggol Highway that have been widened to improve traffic conditions. With the widening of expressways, social benefits can be achieved as motorists will be able to both drive safely and be punctual for work.

Besides the transport infrastructure, a well-planned housing infrastructure is another key infrastructure that will achieve social benefits as well. Some of the social benefits include, having a flat to live in and cheap flat pricing. Singapore is a country with a growing population and it is important that the Housing Development Board (HDB) meets the growing demand. A poorly planned housing infrastructure could mean that new citizens will be unable to purchase a flat and could lead to higher rental fees and over subscription of a new Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise conducted by HDB. The recent Bidadari estate BTO exercise was launched on 17 November 2015 and was oversubscribed by more than 15 times for its five-room flat. This left HDB no other choice but to raise the price of the Bidadari estate BTO which left some buyers feeling cheated. It is important for the housing infrastructure to be well-planned so that citizens will be able to have a roof over their head and achieve social benefits.

In conclusion, I agree with many points that Cho has mentioned regarding how infrastructure can have social benefits. In a city with a fast growing population, it is important that the building and upgrading of infrastructure keep up at the same pace. Therefore, the government plays an important role in developing the country’s infrastructure so that the country can continue to be a financial hub.

References

Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system. (n.d). Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. Retrieved from https://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/rating/index.cfm

Malinda, K. (2015). Cause of massive NSEWL train disruption in July identified. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cause-of-massive-nsewl/2014794.html

LTA completes widening of Pan-Island Expressway between Clementi Avenue 6 and Adam Road (2014). Upsized PIE ready to serve. Retrieved from http://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=563d24d2-ce28-484c-a961-00a3dd633b2c

Lim, P. (2015). Demand for Bidadari BTO flats continues to rise. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/demand-for-bidadari-bto/2286918.html

Vargas, S. (2013). Sustainability Rating Systems: Broad based or narrowly focused? Retrieved from http://cenews.com/article/9438/sustainability-rating-systems-broad-based-or-narrowly-focused

The person who inspired me the most

My primary school tuition teacher, Mrs Violet Francis would be the person who inspired me the most. As a primary school boy, I was very mischievous and had short attention span. I landed up in the worst class in school and had almost given up on education. Thankfully, my mother introduced me to Mrs Francis who was also her primary school teacher.

Mrs Francis owns a terrace which is situated behind a forest. A couple of chickens that roam around the forest, found their home at the trees surrounding Mrs Francis house. Often times, Mrs Francis would curb my short attention span by allowing me to spend 5 minutes feeding the chickens for every hour of studying. As this is a form of relaxation for me at that time, I would go back to my studies feeling rejuvenated.

As a devoted and caring tuition teacher, she would sacrifice her other house chores to continue teaching me after her lesson if I still have any doubts about the topics I was studying. If she deem necessary, she would even call me back on weekends for extra tuition without charging any extra fees to my parents.

Mrs Francis was a very patient and understanding tuition teacher who would also give me encouragement when I encounter a difficult question and applaud me whenever I get the question right. I eventually found the motivation to study and did well for my Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) which allowed me to enter a Secondary school of my choice. I am grateful to have met Mrs Francis who have inspired me to do well in my studies when no other tuition teacher could. I hope to inspire the lives of young people to do well in their studies just like how Mrs Francis did.

Reflection on my Oral presentation

My team and I had the longest time for the preparation of the presentation slides as we were the last team to present. The presentation slides were relatively easy to prepare as we are only required to put pictures in our slides. For me, the difficult part about the preparation of the slides would be trying to link one another slides together and making the information of our slides relevant to our proposal.

I felt that I did quite well for my presentation as I think I was able to bring across my idea to the targeted audience and projected my voice well. A few areas that I can improve on would be reducing the use of filler words and gathering my thoughts first before speaking. I noticed that I would pause once in a while to think of what I want to say next. I believe that with more rehearsals, I could improve on this aspect.

I am glad that we were allowed to use slides for our presentation. This tool allowed me to remind myself on what I have to say next. Also, I felt that the video in my presentation would have more impact if the video showed the Minister of Transport talking about bicycle sharing scheme himself. The use of the wireless presenter greatly help in our presentation as we are able to change the slides at our command and also point to important information on the slides with the laser pointer. 

Reader Response Draft 3 - Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New cities

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New cities’, Cho (2014) claims that infrastructure in cities needs to continuously upgrade despite having many ‘urban challenges.’ These obstacles are faced in new cities such as King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). A group of students along with the author formed a research group in Saudi Arabia to assess the challenges and to see what companies are doing to overcome them.  Cho and her team of researchers utilizes the Envision Rating System to gauge whether companies are following and maintaining the stringent sustainability standards. Companies that meets these standards are eligible for the Infrastructure 360 Degree Award which is considered as one of the most prestigious award in the infrastructure industry. The author also states that a well-planned project will strengthen the community as many working and social environments revolve heavily around infrastructures. 

I agree with the author that having a well-planned infrastructure improves the convenience of people’s daily activities because infrastructures are in some ways connected with one another. Such infrastructures include public transportations and schools as most Singapore youths are taking public transport to schools daily. Transportation infrastructure helps the working adults too, as many are turning to public transportation due to the high cost in car prices. In a small country such as Singapore, transport infrastructure is especially important due to the high density in population. Sufficient trains, buses and other means of public transport are imperative in catering for the huge influx of commuters during peak hours.

With an average of 2.9 million commuters daily and an increasing population, it is important that the transportation infrastructure keep improving and upgrading to cater to the high demand. On 7 July 2015, Singapore’s railway system, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), suffered a massive breakdown during evening peak hour where more than 250,000 passengers were affected for at least 3.5 hours. After weeks of investigation, the MRT engineers and Land Transport Authority (LTA) claimed that the breakdown was attributed to poor maintenance of electrical cable. With proper planning and scheduling of maintenance dates, these breakdowns could have been avoided.

The author also mentioned that having a good highway infrastructure could achieve ‘tangible social benefit’. I agree with the author as Singapore has a high car density. In order to overcome this, LTA has widened a couple of expressways to ease the congestion during peak hours. An example would be the widening of the busiest expressway, the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) that started in 2011 and ended in 2013. I feel that this is a good initiative made by LTA as many motorists will not be caught in peak hour jams and be able to make it to work on time.  There are many other expressways namely, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Punggol Highway that have widened to improve traffic conditions.

While I agree with the author that the Envision Rating System is a good way to rate projects, I feel that it was designed for a broad range of infrastructure types. The Envision Rating System does not focus on a specific type of project and could possibly be too complicated for small projects.  Both the Greenroads and INVEST rating systems are an alternative to overcome such limitations. The Greenroad rating system is focused on the development of projects and how well they are executed. The INVEST rating system focuses on planning, design and construction of specific projects. I feel that more than one rating system has to be used in order to achieve a more holistic approach in rating infrastructure projects.

In conclusion, I agree with many points that Cho has mentioned regarding how infrastructure can have social benefits. In a city with a fast growing population, it is important that the building and upgrading of infrastructure keep up at the same pace. Therefore, the government plays an important role in developing the country’s infrastructure so that the country can continue to be a financial hub.

Gregory L. Tan

- Last edited 18/10/2015

References:

Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. Retrieved from

https://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/rating/index.cfm

Kyle Malinda (29 Jul 2015). Cause of massive NSEWL train disruption in July identified.

Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cause-of-massive-nsewl/2014794.html

Sean Vargas (2013). Sustainability Rating Systems: Broad based or narrowly focused?

Retrieved from http://cenews.com/article/9438/sustainability-rating-systems-broad-based-or-narrowly-focused

Widening of PIE between Clementi Avenue 6 and Adam Road. Retrieved from

http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/projects/also-in-progress/widening-of-pie-between-clementi-avenue-6-and-adam-road.html

Wikipedia on Mass Rapid Transit. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_(Singapore)

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New cities’, Cho (2014) claims that infrastructure in cities need to continuously upgrade despite having many ‘urban challenges’ These obstacles are faced in new cities such as King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). A group of students along with the author formed a research group in Saudi Arabia known as the KAEC fellowship to assess the challenges and to see what companies are doing to overcome them. KAEC fellowship has encompassed the Envision rating system and will award prestigious awards such as Infrastructure 360 award to companies who meets the stringent requirements. The author also states that a well-planned project will strengthen the community as many of our work and social environment revolves heavily around infrastructures. 

I agree with the author that having a well-planned infrastructure improves the convenience of my daily activities because I utilize infrastructures almost every day. Such infrastructures include public transportation and school as I need to travel from my house to school and back daily. Transportation infrastructure helps the working adults too, as many are turning to public transportation due to the high cost in car prices. In a small country such as Singapore, transport infrastructure is especially important due to the high density in population. Hence, sufficient trains, buses and other means of public transport need to cater to the high influx of commuters during peak hours.

With an average of 2.9 million commuters daily and an increasing population, it is important that the transportation infrastructure keep improving and upgrading to cater to high demand. On 7 July 2015, Singapore’s railway system, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) had a massive breakdown during evening peak hour where more than 250,000 passengers were affected for at least 3.5 hours. After weeks of investigation, the MRT engineers and Land Transport Authority (LTA) claimed that the breakdown was attributed to poor maintenance of electrical cable. Therefore with proper planning and scheduling of maintenance dates, these breakdowns could have been avoided.

The author also mentioned that having a good highway infrastructure could achieve ‘tangible social benefit’. I agree with the author with this statement as Singapore, has a high car density as well. In order to overcome this, LTA has widen a couple of expressway in Singapore to ease the congestion during peak hours. An example would be the widening of busiest expressway in Singapore, Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) that started in 2011 and ended in 2013. I feel that this is a good initiative made by LTA as many motorist will not be caught in peak hour jams and be able to make it to work on time.  There are many other expressways namely, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Punggol Highway that have widened to improve traffic conditions.

While I agree that transportation and road infrastructure are important, I felt that the author has neglected other equally important infrastructure such as health care. In 2014, despite having 7 public hospitals in Singapore, there were still shortages of beds and wards for patients. Some patients had to wait for as long as 24 hours just to get a bed. In my opinion, these could have been prevented by building more hospitals and place them in areas with high population density. Other infrastructures including electrical power, water and buildings which the author has failed to mention.

In conclusion, I agree with many points that Cho has mentioned regarding how infrastructure can have social benefits. I believe that infrastructure is important in every city not just in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). In a city with a fast growing population, it is important that the building and upgrading of infrastructure keep up at the same pace. Therefore the government plays an important role in developing the country’s infrastructure so that the country strive as an economic hub.

Gregory L. Tan

- Last edited 30/09/2015

References:

Wikipedia on Mass Rapid Transit - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_(Singapore)

Kyle Malinda (2015) - Cause of massive NSEWL train disruption in July identified - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cause-of-massive-nsewl/2014794.html

Widening of PIE between Clementi Avenue 6 and Adam Road - http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/projects/also-in-progress/widening-of-pie-between-clementi-avenue-6-and-adam-road.html

Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent (2014) - http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/hospitals-facing-severe-bed-crunch-take-unusual-steps

I agree with the author that having a well-planned infrastructure brings people together. In small countries such as Singapore where the population density is relatively high, the above statement is especially true. As a Singaporean, I utilize infrastructures every day. Such infrastructures include public transportation and school as I need to travel from my house to school and back daily. Transportation infrastructure helps the working adults too, as many are turning to public transportation due to the high cost in car prices.  

With an average of 2.9 million commuters daily and an increasing population, it is important that the transportation infrastructure keep improving and upgrading to cater to high demand. On 7 July 2015, Singapore’s railway system, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) had a massive breakdown during evening peak hour where more than 250,000 passengers were affected for at least 3.5 hours. After weeks of investigation, the MRT engineers and Land Transport Authority (LTA) claimed that the breakdown was attributed to poor maintenance of electrical cable. Therefore with proper planning and scheduling of maintenance dates, these breakdowns could have been avoided.

The author also mentioned that having a good highway infrastructure could achieve ‘tangible social benefit’. I agree with the author with this statement as Singapore, has a high car density as well. In order to overcome this, LTA has widen a couple of expressway in Singapore to ease the congestion during peak hours. An example would be the widening of busiest expressway in Singapore, Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) that started in 2011 and ended in 2013. I feel that this is a good initiative made by LTA as many motorist will not be caught in peak hour jams and be able to make it to work on time.  There are many other expressways namely, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Punggol Highway that have widened to improve traffic conditions.

While I agree that transportation and road infrastructure are important, I felt that the author has neglected other equally important infrastructure such as health care. In 2014, despite having 7 public hospitals in Singapore, there were still shortages of beds and wards for patients. Some patients had to wait for as long as 24 hours just to get a bed. In my opinion, these could have been prevented by building more hospitals and place them in areas with high population density. Other infrastructures including electrical power, water and buildings which the author has failed to mention.

In conclusion, I agree with many points that Cho has mentioned regarding how infrastructure can have social benefits. I believe that infrastructure is important in every city not just in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). In a city with a fast growing population, it is important that the building and upgrading of infrastructure keep up at the same pace. Therefore the government plays an important role in developing the country’s infrastructure so that the country strive as an economic hub.

Gregory L. Tan

-Edited 30/09/2015

References : Wikipedia on Mass Rapid Transit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_(Singapore)

Kyle Malinda (2015) - Cause of massive NSEWL train disruption in July identified, says SMRT http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cause-of-massive-nsewl/2014794.html

Widening of PIE between Clementi Avenue 6 and Adam Road. http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/projects/also-in-progress/widening-of-pie-between-clementi-avenue-6-and-adam-road.html

Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent( 2014) http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/hospitals-facing-severe-bed-crunch-take-unusual-steps

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New cities’, Cho (2014) claims that infrastructure in cities need to continuously upgrade despite having many ‘urban challenges’ These obstacles are faced in new cities such as King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). A group of students along with the author formed a research group in Saudi Arabia known as the KAEC fellowship to assess the challenges and to see what companies are doing to overcome them.  KAEC fellowship has encompassed the Envision rating system and will award prestigious awards such as Infrastructure 360 award to companies who meets the stringent requirements. The author also states that a well-planned project will strengthen the community as many of our work and social environment revolves heavily around infrastructures. 

Gregory L. Tan

Importance of the English language

English is the international language and is therefore used worldwide. Being able to both speak and write in English would mean that I will be able to travel to most countries and not worry about any language barriers. English is important to me because I am able to communicate with my friends despite being from a different race and nationality.

In university, we will be using English to write notes from lectures. If our command of English is poor, we will not be able to write down notes of what our professor is conveying to us. Learning will be affected and there will be communication breakdown between both the professor and student. Being well-verse in English allows me to actively contribute to the teams’ report which makes learning a lot more conducive.

Being in the course Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land), I will be handling projects that needs to be met by an international standard. Such standards are governed by an organization called International Organisation Standardisation (ISO). I will be able to travel across different countries and work on the same project if the countries I go to follow the same ISO standards. Therefore, English helps to unify the worlds working standards.