PATTERNS AND PROBLEMS OF COMMUTING TO PERIPHERAL URBAN WORKPLACES IN SINGAPORE: CASE STUDY OF SINGAPORE AIRLINES' EMPLOYEES

This paper addresses the issue of commuting patterns and problems to workplaces in the urban periphery of Singapore. It is based on a case study of journey-to-work patterns of employees of Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA). The company's headquarters is in Airline House which is situated in the eastern comer of Singapore, a location which suffers from accessibility problems. The paper focuses on mode choice in the journey-to-work and, by means of a questionnaire survey, examines commuting patterns of a sample of Airline House workers in terms of first, the characteristics of the different modes of transportation used; and second, the socio-economic characteristics of workers including factors such as income, gender, occupational status and age. This is followed by a discussion of the problems faced in the daily commutes of workers. Many of these problems such as inconvenient public transport services, traffic congestion and long transit times are representative of those of other peripheral workplaces in Singapore. Based on the findings of the case study, the paper discusses some policy implications of the government's planning efforts to decentralise office activities from the CBD to suburban regions.