United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:

The land transport system in Singapore has come a long way from the post-independence days in the 1960s when a journey to the city was a major undertaking, to the modern land transport system that Singaporeans enjoy today. Like other cities around the world, Singapore has had to tackle head-on the effects of urban development.

To spearhead the developments of a world class land transport system, the Singapore Government set up the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in September 1995. The LTA is the single central agency that plans, designs, builds, maintains and regulates the public and private transport modes of the country.

Through the search for solutions to our transport woes, our planners have learnt valuable lessons and accumulated knowledge and practical experiences, which we could share with the global land transport community. However, there was no systematic process to capture such knowledge. Lessons learnt and knowledge gathered through work usually resided with the respective divisions carrying out the work and were not retained or reproducible for other purposes. Valuable experiences were often lost when staff left the organization. At that time, the LTA conducted land transport trainings on an ad-hoc and by-request basis. Training materials were not centrally deposited and shared with other staff. Retrieval of past training information was often a challenge.

SHARING & EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE:

Secondly, our land transport policies and programmes have attracted considerable international interest over the years due to our innovative approaches to land transport issues. For example, we were the first to experiment with road usage measures when we introduced an entry charge for vehicles into our Central Business District some 33 years ago.

The LTA today hosts many foreign guests who come to learn and share best practices in land transport policies and strategies. These visits help build our professional knowledge and develop links with them. Unfortunately, there was no coordinating body to take advantage of those visits. In addition, we did not have the capacity to add value to the visits made by our foreign counterparts in the form of site visits and in-depth practical sharing sessions, as they are professionals and practitioners who don’t need mere classroom lectures or broad overviews from us.

REACHING OUT TO OUR PEOPLE:

Finally, equally if not more important, is the creation of a good relationship and mutual understanding with our local populace. As land transport affects daily lives of millions of people, our policies are often misunderstood. Correcting the misconceptions is of paramount importance. So is planning our transport system from the people’s perspective, and for the people to feel that they have a part in the development of land transport in Singapore.

While the public has been involved in shaping our land transport policies through various channels such as focus group discussions and public consultation exercises, there was no permanent central avenue where we could focus our efforts to reach out to our people, educate and share with them the challenges and development of our land transport system.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
To enhance and emphasize learning and knowledge sharing, the LTA Academy was set up as a division of the LTA in September 2006. The Academy capitalizes on LTA’s in-house knowledge base and experience, and combines this with hands-on learning opportunities. It brings together government organizations, professionals and practitioners around the world to discuss and share land transport issues, serving as a one-stop focal point to tap on Singapore’s know-how and exchange best practices in the land transport arena. The Academy also provides an institutional platform on which the domain knowledge of various LTA Groups could be consolidated, distilled and reproduced for the benefits of all involved. Through its knowledge management system and training programmes, the Academy plays a significant role in developing the professional capacity of LTA staff and the local industry to better undertake new challenges. To date, more than 5,000 participants from 80 countries have attended the conferences, courses and seminars conducted by the Academy. Overall, 92% of its programmes were rated good or very good in 2007. Favorable feedbacks have been received from the participants, for example: “LTA Academy has given us the opportunity to experience Singapore’s excellent integrated public transport system.” – Head of Department, Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Western Cape, South Africa; “My being exposed to the various technological skills and techniques really benefited me... You have exceptionally carried out the programme well. I think in all areas your standards are really high.” – General Manager (Regulations), Public Transport Regulatory Commission, Republic of the Fiji Islands; “I have benefited a lot from learning the Singapore experience and practices in land transport, especially the parts related to road project management and transport regulation.” – Economic Advisor, Ministry of Transport, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. As part of LTA’s effort to engage our people, the Land Transport Gallery (LT Gallery) was launched in January 2008 as a part of the Academy. The Gallery features the development of Singapore’s land transport system since colonial days to today and beyond. Through the Gallery, the LTA has been able to increase our engagement with the community to facilitate understanding and foster greater ownership by all our people of our land transport system. The Gallery receives as many as 2,000 visitors every month. As at 31 December 2008, more than 21,000 people have visited the Gallery, of which about a quarter were overseas visitors. Feedbacks received have been favorable, for example: “Wow! Thanks. The visit today enlightened me on the diligent committed work by LTA and staff. It makes me so proud to be a Singapore citizen! Really an eye-opener, very interactive and educational. It is very interactive and impressive great planning with a future orientated outlook!” – Lee Kong Chian Gardens School Teachers, Singapore; “Thank you for a very professional presentation. I have come away with my eyes opened for the future of public and private transport between here in Singapore and home in South Australia.” – Minister for Transport, South Australia.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The idea of a land transport academy was first mooted in November 2005 by a team of officers tasked to look into how Singapore could better engage our counterparts in the region and the rest of the world by sharing our expertise and experiences with them. Their proposal was surfaced to the higher management of LTA and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of Singapore, all of which supported it and approved the funding. To implement this initiative, a Dean was appointed from one of the LTA’s senior officers. He then led the initial team of staff to set up the Academy, to manage and to oversee the day-to-day running of the Academy. The LTA Academy was launched by the Minister for Transport in September 2006 at the opening of the inaugural World Roads Conference, one of many international conferences organized by the LTA. The announcement received widespread publicity and many participants welcomed the news. In early 2007, the Chief Executive of LTA initiated the idea of a visitors’ centre to showcase the history and the future of land transport in Singapore, in order to reach out to the community. A budget of S$2million (US$1.3million) was subsequently approved, and a team of volunteers from various Groups in LTA was formed to conceptualize, design and implement the Gallery. Ideas for the Gallery were brainstormed and crystallized by the team. Pico Art International Pte Ltd was subsequently appointed as the designer and contractor to construct the Gallery. When the visitors’ centre was finally opened in January 2008 by the Minister for Transport, it was christened as the Land Transport Gallery (LT Gallery). The opening of the Gallery was held in conjunction with the launch of our Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP), the road map for land transport developments in Singapore for the next 10 to 15 years. The stakeholders of the Academy are the LTA staff and participants of the LTA Academy’s programmes, including our industry partners, overseas counterparts and the land transport community in general. The knowledge and experiences shared will in one way or another help improve the transport systems of other countries. One key value proposition of the Academy is that its programmes put the participants through the rigorous transport policy thinking that has helped us develop a world-class transport system in Singapore by overcoming our constraints of land scarcity and burgeoning travel demand. For the LT Gallery, our people and community are the main stakeholders. These are the people whom the Gallery was created for. Through this Gallery, we create a better understanding of our transport policies and practices, and in doing so, engender a greater ownership by all our people of our land transport system. We know that we cannot achieve our vision of developing a people-centred land transport system single-handedly.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The LTA Academy was set up with the mission to promote sharing of Singapore’s experience and expertise on land transport, as well as promote research and exchange of best practices within the global land transport community. The key strategies used are: OPERATING FRAMEWORK: The first step to the implementation of the Academy was to set up the administrative framework in which it could best operate. The strategy was to establish the Academy as a part of the Policy & Planning Group of LTA. Given the international outlook of the Academy, it would stand to benefit from the contacts of the International Relations arm of the Group. In addition, study visits to LTA often covered aspects of policy implementation and planning. There was a clear synergy that could be achieved by working hand-in-hand with the Research and Statistics Division (RSD) of the Group. In the longer term, the established knowledge base and research findings would allow the Academy to assist LTA in formulating Singapore’s land transport policies. In line with this, the Academy absorbed RSD into its fold and was subsequently organized into three sections. “Learning & Programmes” focuses on developing and managing training programmes. “Research & Publication” is the research arm of the Academy which focuses on policy research, management of information, research collaboration and technical publication. The “LT Gallery” educates our people and partners on our land transport practices. DEVELOPING NETWORK OF CONTACTS: Following the Academy’s formation, we promptly proceeded to develop partnership with local and international agencies, the first step in developing our network of contacts. The LTA Academy Advisory Board (LAAB), an independent body comprising international transport experts, was subsequently established to provide strategic advice on the Academy’s future directions and development. BUILDING OUR BRAND NAME: To establish its branding, the Academy started its series of signature programmes early. For example, a 5-day International Rail Transit course led by a renowned professor and senior LTA staff. In November last year, the Academy launched its premier flagship programme, the World Urban Transport Leaders’ Summit, and its very first professional journal, JOURNEYS. The WUTLS is a unique high-level international conference that provides a useful platform for sharing of knowledge and exchange of views on urban transport issues and for networking among the key decision makers around the world. It attracted over 100 participants from across 30 countries. ENGAGING OUR AUDIENCE: To allow the Gallery to continually engage the diverse audience, the strategy was to create an unusual and memorable journey for visitors to the Gallery through an interesting multi-sensory experience and the use of innovative and experiential exhibits. The team conducted extensive research and reviewed various galleries to gather ideas and insights before deciding to organize the LT Gallery into six thematic zones that bring visitors on a journey from Singapore’s state of land transport yesteryears, to the developments after Singapore’s independence, present challenges and strategies, and the future possibilities awaiting the transportation landscape.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Responding to international interest in our policies and practices, the Academy started with a focus on the programmes for overseas delegates. Since then, we have designed and conducted about 140 programmes for overseas participants within the first two years of operation, of which more than 120 programmes were customized to meet the needs of participants. Most of the programmes were conducted in Singapore by senior LTA staff, who are given training allowance for the effort and time spent conducting the programmes. Such approach benefits our staff both financially and professionally. Due to a lack of knowledge depository within LTA in the early stage, the Academy staff had to work closely with various divisions in LTA to gather relevant information and source for suitable trainers. Over time, a pool of trainers was established. Going forward, to capture, retain and facilitate sharing of the tacit and explicit knowledge of our staff, the Academy is developing a knowledge management system that will consolidate LTA’s institutional knowledge. GROWTH STRATEGIES & BRANDING: In June 2008, the LTA management approved the Academy’s future growth strategies, including the formation of the LTA Academy Advisory Board (LAAB). The Academy’s scope was also enlarged to cover five key strategic areas – Capacity Development, Global Network and Knowledge Exchange, Policy Advisory, Knowledge Management as well as Research and Publication. In November 2008, the new training facilities and office of the LTA Academy was officially opened by the Minister for Transport at the opening ceremony of the inaugural World Urban Transport Leaders’ Summit (WUTLS). At the same ceremony, the Academy launched the inaugural issue of JOURNEYS, a biannual journal that shares urban transport policies, issues and experiences in various cities. The target audience includes LTA staff, local and foreign transport academia, professionals and practitioners. The inaugural meeting of the first LAAB was also held in the same period. Following the inputs and advice from the LAAB, and the Academy’s own growing recognition and track record, we have mapped out an expansion plan. MOVING FORWARD: One identified growth area is the professional development of LTA staff and the local industry. Under our expansion plan, the Academy will actively develop and conduct structured professional programmes for these local participants, focusing on core competencies peculiar to LTA. The Academy has a unique role to play in the fulfillment of our LTMP objectives. Besides developing new courses to support LTMP implementation, the LTMP also presents the Academy with many new imperatives and opportunities. For example, LTA will embark on many new things like the bus network planning and tendering, in which we will engage local and international experts thereby culling the best from the world at large. The Academy will ensure that the experiences and knowledge gained are properly captured, institutionalized and managed for the benefit of the world at large.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
LTA ACADEMY: Making it work was the main challenge that the Academy faced. As a newly set-up entity, the LTA Academy needed to attract enough participants to justify running the courses. Preparing concrete publicity plans was hence the first step to overcome this. As part of the plans, the Academy has been actively reaching out to the world through various channels including websites, brochures and regular participations in international expositions and exhibitions. To further expose the Academy to the global transport community, the Academy staff have made presentations at international conferences organized by international bodies like the World Bank and UITP, in various cities. Collaboration with international and local institutions is another key strategy to extend the reach of the Academy and develop more comprehensive practitioner-oriented programmes to attract more quality participants. To date, the Academy has secured strategic partnership with 13 established overseas and local institutions, and signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with five major international organizations in Germany, UK, US, China and India, e.g. the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation), the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (US), etc. We have also partnered several professional institutions, such as the Institution of Engineers Singapore, to organize joint-programmes. We have co-organized several high-profile international conferences and meetings, which include the ITS Working Group meetings, 3rd Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum and Global Road Safety Conference. LT GALLERY: For the LT Gallery, deriving a concept that was interesting and could achieve our objectives, was the first challenge. We needed to make the Gallery unique that would differentiate it from other visitors’ centre or transport museums, one that could explain the constraints we faced and why certain tough policy decisions had to be made. The concept has to be novel, enjoyable and yet educational in order to engage visitors. Options were explored and numerous discussions were held to put together the concept. There was also a large array of diverse information that had to be collected and researched. To do this within the tight schedule, the team was split into small groups to conduct concurrent research for the different thematic zones. Locating artifacts presented another challenge. This was overcome by enlisting help from various parties including the public transport operators. For items that could no longer be found in their original state, the team created replicates after thorough research. Publicity for the Gallery was also a challenge. We have been actively marketing the Gallery to various groups such as schools, grassroots organizations, LTA staff and families, and the participants of the Academy’s programmes. Customized “tour packages” have been developed, e.g. holiday programmes for students. We are also partnering other government agencies, e.g. Singapore Tourism Promotion Board, to promote the Gallery.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The Academy started small, with an initial team of four LTA staff including the appointed Dean, to set up the Academy. They defined and took charge of the various administrative functions of the Academy as well as its key activities such as scheduling, developing and marketing the Academy’s programmes. The Academy’s courses then were typically held in the pre-existing Auditorium or conference rooms at the LTA Office. The initial capital outlay was hence minimal and was absorbed by the LTA. The Academy’s new premises that was opened last year, was constructed at the cost of S$0.9million (US$0.6million). The Gallery was constructed at the cost of S$2million (US$1.3million). Subsequent improvements were made to the Gallery, resulting in an additional cost of approximately S$600,000 (US$400,000). Beside capital expenditure, the Academy’s annual operating budget for the next financial year (April 2009 – May 2010) is S$9million (US$6.0million) including manpower expenditure, rentals of facilities/ training venues and other overheads, of which estimated S$2million (US$1.3million) is for “Learning & Programmes”, S$6million (US$4.0million) for “Research & Publication”, and S$1million (US$0.7million) for “LT Gallery”. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: In the next few years, besides developing courses for our staff and the local industry, the Academy will continue to work with its MOC partners to develop more practitioner-oriented programmes. The aim is to roll out at least 40 new programmes over the next three years. In addition, following the success of the Academy’s recent out-station training in Macau and Laos, we will organize more workshops overseas in partnership with overseas agencies. KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE: To promote knowledge exchange, the Academy will continue to organize international conferences/ workshops. We will provide official support to credible transport related international conferences/ workshops to co-locate their events to Singapore. The aim is to organize at least 20 international events over the next three years. POLICY ADVISORY: The Academy will also look into providing advisory services to assist interested overseas agencies to improve their transport system. This represents a new revenue stream and another step towards the Academy’s goal to be a financially sustainable entity. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: To effectively capture and retain the tacit and explicit knowledge of LTA staff, as part of its knowledge management process, the Academy will distil the wealth of information and experiences into training materials and case studies to be consolidated under three “Centers of Excellence”, which represent the three broad schools of the Academy’s programmes – Transport Policy & Planning, Infrastructure Development and Management, and Transport Innovation and Systems. RESEARCH & PUBLICATION: RSD will conduct more studies to support LTMP implementation and further develop its capacity on economic research and enhance research collaboration with universities and international partners on urban transport matters. RSD will also be actively involved in sustainable transport development projects, an area that is increasingly attracting international attention, and will share its findings regularly. LT GALLERY: For the Gallery, the plan is to achieve a total visitorship of 60,000 people by the end of 2009 through extensive publicity and marketing programmes locally and overseas.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
LTA ACADEMY AS A GLOBAL CITIZEN: The Academy is a channel through which we could play our role as a global citizen to assist others to solve their transport problems. Many major cities in emerging countries are feeling the effects of rapid urbanization and motorization fueled by the rapid economic growth in the last few decades. Worsening traffic congestion and pollution are fast eroding the quality of urban life. Here the Academy could play a significant role as we have lived through the same stage to tell the story. We could help these cities learn from decades of transport evolution and avoid the mistakes made by other countries. The Memorandum of Understanding that Singapore signed with the World Bank in December 2008 is an example of our assistance channels. The Academy also works closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). The SCP brings together various technical assistance programmes offered by Singapore. We have conducted five programmes under this scheme, each attracting about 25 to 30 overseas delegates. STRATEGIC ROLE OF LTA ACADEMY: Moving forward, the Academy aims to gradually build its global profile and broaden its reach to the international community. We target to host 3,000 delegates per year by 2010, a realistic projection in view of the current demand for our programmes. Since the Academy’s inception in 2006, more than 5,000 participants from 80 countries have attended its programmes. The Academy will work with overseas agencies and professional organizations to co-locate their events to Singapore. These will no doubt bring economic benefits to Singapore and contribute towards making Singapore a marketplace of ideas and business opportunities. Hence, the Academy plays a strategic role and contributes in a broader context to the nation’s strategic objectives. It complements the national strategy to export public sector expertise while contributing to the government’s efforts to better engage, generate goodwill and promote better cooperation with other countries. Moving forward, the Academy will continue to be the main vehicle to export Singapore’s know-how in land transport. We will continue to work towards our vision of becoming a leading global institution on land transport, and in the process, contribute to the body of knowledge in land transport and innovative thinking. The Academy works on the basis of direct cost recovery. Its programmes generate enough revenues to cover direct training costs. Going forward, we will tie up with international aid agencies such as the World Bank and ADB, to reach out to foreign nations. New revenue stream such as policy advisory services is also a step towards financially-sustainable Academy. CONNECTING TO OUR PEOPLE: Similarly, the LT Gallery is the LTA’s main channel to communicate with our people. It brings together our different stakeholders, be it commuters, motorists, pedestrians or students, to promote awareness and understanding of our policies and practices. More than anything else, the LT Gallery is a socially sustainable initiative. Entry to the Gallery is free. However, Gallery visit is usually a part of the Academy’s training package.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
Our land transport system has been recognized by international transport institutions and experts as world-class. For example, the International Public Transport Association (UITP) rated Singapore’s public transport system amongst the best in the world together with Helsinki and Vienna in its Mobility in Cities report (2006). Our transport infrastructure consistently ranks amongst the top 10 in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. These are due to the prudent policies that we have assiduously implemented and managed over the last 40 years based on good principles of governance. Our policy innovations and knowledge in urban transport are relevant for the rest of the world. The challenges we faced are not unique to Singapore. In fact, the Academy is one of many efforts across the Singapore Government to showcase its achievements in various public policy areas. The World Cities Summit held in June 2008, brought together by the various government agencies in Singapore in collaboration with international partners like the World Bank, is one avenue through which we share our experiences with the rest of the world. The distinctiveness of the Academy’s programmes is another pull factor that has helped attract participants. The programmes focus on a practitioner approach and practical experience sharing rather than one based on text-book knowledge, something different from the ones offered by conventional educational institutions. We realize that much of our experience cannot be readily replicated in other emerging metropolis due to different political, social and economic context. Participants have often fed back that they knew the correct technical answers to their problems but lacked the political will, financial wherewithal and social support to implement them, unlike in Singapore. The Academy will work with relevant international organisations like the UN, the World Bank, etc, as well as think-tanks like the LKY School of Public Policy in Singapore, to package policy advisory services and training programmes to better cater to the special needs of transport officials in each developing city. For the Gallery, its experiential concept, which presents visitors with a novel and enjoyable yet educational experience, has been the winning formula. And in a way, the implicit meaning behind it, that is, what the Singapore’s land transport journey through the years means to us, our families and our children, is something that connects to our people. We see what our forefathers lived through, what we enjoy today, and the wonders that our children may get to see one day. The Gallery reaches out to the various levels and age groups of our society to foster greater ownership by all people of our land transport system. Currently, the language medium in the Gallery is limited to English only. This may have constrained its outreach to the larger, older communities who are only familiar with their own vernaculars. The next step is to install the Chinese language translation aid. This will attract more people in Singapore and especially visitors from China to visit and learn about our experiences in managing urban transport challenges.


Institution Name:		Land Transport Authority
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Yii Der Lew
Title:		Group Director, Policy & Planning
Telephone/ Fax:		63961527
Institution's / Project's Website:		63961559
E-mail:		yii_der_lew@lta.gov.sg
Address:		1 Hampshire Road
Postal Code:		219428
City:
State/Province:
Country:		Singapore

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information