Episode 1: MRT, car policy, telephone

This episode begins with a look back at how Singapore's subway system, the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), came about. As Singapore became more affluent, the vehicle population began to soar, leading to congested roads. Foreign experts were flown in to provide recommendations. One suggestion was to improve the public bus system. Another was to build a subway. Today, we know which recommendation won. It would be difficult to imagine not being able to say "Meet you at City Hall MRT!"

The second segment is about Singapore's car policy. As the vehicle population grew, there was a need to control the growth of vehicles to reduce road congestion. Policies implemented include the Certificate of Entitlement and the Area Licensing Scheme, which is known today as the Electronic Road Pricing scheme. A phenomenon that resulted due to these policies is that Singapore has one of the youngest car population in the world, with cars being replaced about every two years.


The final segment shows the evolution of the telephone in Singapore, from its humble days when you had to share a telephone, to the modern day when almost everyone has a handphone. People who try to hold out against owning a handphone find themselves being "forced" to own one so that they can stay in contact with friends and family. Also, as technology has improved, the size and weight of handphones have come down such that no one would want to be seen carrying an old school, bulky Motorola phone -- with no SMS and camera capabilities!