164 km Total length of major arterial roads: 576 km Total length of collector roads: 704 km Total length of local access roads: 2056 km (as of 2017) Traffic drives on the left which is typical in Commonwealth countries. The planning, construction and maintenance of the road network is fully conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and this extends to expressways in Singapore. These form key transport arteries between the distinct towns and regional centres as laid out in Singapore's urban planning, with the main purpose of allowing vehicles to travel from satellite towns to the city centre and vice versa in the shortest possible distance. These expressways include: Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) Central Expressway (CTE) East Coast Parkway (ECP) Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) Kranji Expressway (KJE) Pan Island Expressway (PIE) Seletar Expressway (SLE) Tampines Expressway (TPE) North–South Corridor (scheduled opening in 2026) The influence of expressways on Singapore's transport policy developed shortly after independence during the history of Singapore because of frequent traffic congestion in the Central district. The aim was to encourage residential development in other parts of the island and give residents in these new "satellite towns" a convenient link between their homes and their workplaces (which were mostly situated around the city centre.) Causeway and link bridge Singapore has two land links to Malaysia. The Johor-Singapore Causeway, built in the 1920s to connect Johor Bahru in Johor, Malaysia to Woodlands in Singapore, carries a road and a railway line. The Tuas Second Link, a bridge further west, was completed in 1996 and links Tuas in Singapore to Tanjung Kupang in Johor. Trishaws Before World War II, rickshaws were an important part of urban public transportation. In 1947 they were banned on humanitarian grounds, and replaced by trishaws (cycle rickshaws). Usage of trishaws as a means of transportation had died out by 1983. However, there are some trishaws left which now serve as tourist attractions, taking tourists for a ride around the downtown district. Rail transport Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) The Mass Rapid Transit, which opened in 1987, is a heavy rail metro system that serves as the major backbone of Singapore's public transport system along with public buses; as of November 2022, the network has a length of and 134 stations. The Land Transport Authority, the main planning authority of the MRT, plans to provide a more