"That last leg can kill you" / Make Clementi the next cycling town - in my lifetime please

See the URA Draft Master Plan 2013: "Cycling For All"

Kevin Lam Koi Yau wrote to The Straits Times Forum page (17 Mar 2014) to say,

Make Clementi the next cycling town

It is a good idea to promote intra-town cycling in selected Housing Board towns. But I am disappointed that Clementi has not been selected among the latest batch of cycling towns.

With its close proximity to the Ulu Pandan park connector - which links with the Jurong park connector, Bukit Batok Nature Park, International Business Park, Dover MRT and Boon Lay MRT - and schools such as the National University of Singapore, Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Clementi could benefit greatly from a well-thought-out cycling infrastructure, which could ease public transport woes during peak hours as well as get our young people to adopt an active lifestyle.

An avid cyclist once told me not to commute to NUS for work, though I live in Clementi, as there are no safe routes.

I urge the Land Transport Authority to consider investing in cycling infrastructure in Clementi to boost safety for cyclists and get more people to take up cycling.

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That last leg can kill you

Kevin reminded me I am that cyclist who told him not to cycle to NUS. And my advice still holds. There is a great improvement in connectivity in the area compared to the eighties, carved out mostly by NParks' Park Connector Network and enhance by the Rail Corridor which we all hope is here to stay.

While there is a decent connectivity, that last leg can kill you! Approaching NUS via Clementi Road or South Buona Vista is harzadous. This is not recommended for a daily commute.

NUS' U Town has now opened up a pavement route alongside Clementi Road if you are using the Ulu Pandan Park Connector. It is not a fast route, but a relatively safe one. But this will not encourage commuting in an area filled with potential cycling commuters, parking and shower facilities. I have shared these ideas with URA through the National Cycling Plan dialogue but I do think this area is a tough one to begin a cycling infrastructure enhancement project. Not a low hanging fruit.

Still, the Clementi - NUS - Holland Village area needs a makeover. The problems in this area exceed cycling infrastructure for sure. Still, one relief to the daily congestion would be by facilitating cycling.

Will the National Cycling Plan come to town, and in my lifetime, please?

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URA Draft Master Plan 2013: National Cycling Plan

Intra-Town Cycling Paths - All Towns To Be Cycling Towns

Off-road intra-town cycling paths will allow residents to cycle safely from their homes to major transport hubs and key amenities such as food centres, schools, supermarkets and community centres within the town.

By 2015, 100 km of intra-town cycling paths will have been developed in several cycling towns [Tampines, Sembawang, Bedok, Changi-Simei, Pasir Ris, Taman Jurong, Yishun, East Coast, Jurong Lake District, Marina Bay and Punggol]

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Another 90 km of cycling paths will be added to more towns by 2020. The aim is to provide all 26 HDB towns across Singapore with comprehensive intra-town cycling networks for residents to cycle to and from MRT stations and neighbourhood centres.