Opening Remarks by Minister of State for Transport and Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Baey Yam Keng, at Youth Panel for Transport Showcase

Opening Remarks

1.          Good morning, everyone. Very happy to join you here today. Every day, Singaporeans make millions of journeys by train, bus, bicycle or foot. Yet, most of us rarely stop to think about how those journeys are made possible. For the past three months, the members of our Youth Panel for Transport have been doing exactly that. You have invested energy to improve the planning and design of our transport system. I am glad to be here today to hear what you have come up with.

2.          You are a diverse group. More than 35 young Singaporeans, aged between 17 and 33, came together to form our Youth Panel for Transport. You come from different backgrounds and life stages. Some of you are students, and others have already entered the workforce and are building careers across different sectors. Despite these different experiences, what unites you is a shared belief that the future of our transport system can work better for everyone.

a.          For example, Zachary, one of our youngest participants at age 17, has stepped forward despite his school commitments because he is passionate about making our transport system safer and more inclusive for people with different needs.

b.          We also have participants like Sri, a former LTA intern who now works in the transport sector. She joined the youth panel because she wants to continue playing a part in improving the daily journeys of commuters from all walks of life.

Empowering our Youths to Co-Create our Transport Future

3.          Over the past three months, you have worked closely with officers from LTA and the National Youth Council to develop and refine your ideas. You had the opportunity to exchange perspectives, challenge assumptions and engage in meaningful conversations on transport issues.

4.          Your ideas covered a lot of ground. Some groups looked at making journeys more comfortable and convenient, while others focused on building a more inclusive transport system for vulnerable users and foster a more gracious commuting culture. These are issues that resonate strongly with the aspirations that we have been hearing through our broader engagements for the Land Transport Master Plan Refresh. It is encouraging to see many of these aspirations reflected in the ideas you have developed, and it was heartening to see some convergence.

5.          I am heartened to know that many of you also took the initiative to conduct surveys and engage members of the public to better understand commuter needs as well as their pain points. We know that people are at the heart of our transport system – our buses, trains, roads and paths must serve our people well. The insights you obtained from your fellow Singaporeans would have helped to shape and strengthen the proposals that you will be sharing today.

6.          Many of you may have started this journey with a simple idea – you want to improve our transport system. Along the way, you would have discovered what transport planners, like my colleagues in LTA, grapple with every day - that transport challenges are rarely straightforward. Balancing the different needs of commuters is often one of the most challenging aspects of transport planning.

7.          So we hope that through our youth panels, we give our passionate youth a first-hand experience with the careful trade-offs that we have to make when determining the future direction for Singapore. hope you will also be inspired to find creative solutions that can deliver the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

Continued partnership with the Youth Panel

8.          Today is not the finishing line for you. We will carefully review the proposals from this Youth Panel as part of the Land Transport Master Plan Refresh. Together with the insights gathered through our broader engagements, your ideas will help inform the plans, policies and initiatives that shape Singapore’s transport future.

9.          I hope that you will continue to have conversations on transport within your own communities and networks and help others appreciate the different perspectives and needs of fellow commuters.

Upcoming Youth Panels

10.        Findings from the National Youth Council showed that more than 80% of youths want to be engaged in discussions about Singapore’s future. We too, want more young Singaporeans to be engaged in discussions about what transport in Singapore could be like, and contribute to issues that matter to you.

11.        The Youth Panel for Transport is the first of the four Youth Panels that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the National Youth Council is convening this year, under the SG Youth Plan, with other government agencies. Like this panel, the other Youth Panels will provide opportunities for youths to work alongside government agencies to develop recommendations to shape a better future for Singapore.

12.        The three other Youth Panels are:

a.          First, the Youth-Friendly City Youth Panel. This is in partnership with the Ministry of National Development’s Centre for Liveable Cities and the Centre for Strategic Futures at the Prime Minister’s Office. This panel will explore how Singapore can be a better city for youths to live, work, and play.

b.          The second is the Youth Panel for Sport. This will be in partnership with Sport Singapore, to explore how sport can help youths keep healthy and build relationships and confidence throughout life.

c.           The third is the Housing Journey Youth Panel, in partnership with the Housing & Development Board, to co-create ideas to enhance the flat-buying journey for youths.

13.        I am pleased to share that registration for these Youth Panels is now open and I hope many youths will step forward to be part of these conversations. If you have found your experience with the Youth Panel for Transport to be meaningful, please share these opportunities with your friends and peers as well. Interested youths can register through the National Youth Council’s channels.

Closing

14.        In closing, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your commitment, creativity and willingness to contribute. The ideas that you have developed over the past few months remind us that youths are not just stakeholders in our transport future, but active partners in shaping it. I look forward to hearing your proposals shortly and continuing this partnership with all of you as we work together to shape the future of transport in Singapore.