To minimize traffic congestion, the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) was implemented in both the inner city and stretches of major expressways. Vehicles entering the Central Business District and certain commuter routes during peak hours must have an ALS Permit displayed on their windshields. The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme was partially introduced in April 1998 with the plan to implement it island-wide by September 1998. All motorists install an in-vehicle unit that deducts from a stored-value cash card every time the car passes through an electronic sensor, usually found at the entry points to busy roads. Parking in the Central Business District during business hours is difficult and expensive. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Housing Development Board (HDB) parking lots have a limited number of automated spots. Many require a parking coupon, which may be purchased at post offices, shops, department stores and gas stations throughout the country. Major buildings have limited hourly parking. Charges vary and are displayed at parking lot entrances.

Arriving by car
In Singapore, cars are driven on the left side of the road. The speed limit on all major expressways is 50 mph/80 kph (road signs are in kilometers). Access to Singapore by car from Malaysia is via the Johor Bahru Causeway, connecting to the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). A second causeway has just been opened linking Johor in Malaysia to Tuas in Singapore. Six expressways span the island, and all are indicated on road signs by their various acronyms. The major ones are the ECP (East Coast Parkway), which runs across the southeastern part of the island, and connects to AYE (Ayer Rajah Expressway), which runs across the southwest part of the island. The PIE (Pan-Island Expressway) spans from the east to the west side of the island. The CTE (Central Expressway) runs north to south and crosses the central part of the island, intersecting with the PIE. The Seletar Expressway (SLE) connects the northern and eastern parts of the island.

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