"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.

Click for a larger map

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.

URA's Draft Master Plan 2013: National Cycling Plan - "Cycling for All"

Unveiled on 20 November 2013, the URA Draft Master Plan has six key focuses. Transport is a key focus and identifies these issues:

1. Transport And Connectivity
2. Doubling The Rail Network
3. Enhancing Bus Services
4. Reducing Car Usage
5. Cycling For All
6. Creating Walkable Places

"Cycling for All" outlines the National Cycling Plan. Read at http://www.ura.gov.sg/MS/DMP2013/key-focuses/transport/cycling-for-all.aspx

Cycling in Singapore is evolving, so expect joy and expect growing pains!

I looked back to a blog post from ten years ago and it is a fascinating read - "Thoughts about cycling in Singapore".

The important issue though is, how much has changed since?

Well in the past year, so many things have happened in the cycling scene in Singapore and the number of announcements, news items and discussions have far outpaced my ability to keep this ten-year old blog updated!

Stakeholders have been meeting with URA and LTA, sounding out suggestions, consulting on routes and even going on bicycle rides! In a very short time, advocates for cycling as an integral part of city life have become a united group, whether in government or from the ground.

The mission? Introduce, change and improve infrastructure, culture, mindset about cycling as a way of life and be a natural evolution from modern Singapore's foundation as a garden city. Also, we need to teach a lost generation how to ride a bicycle!

Suddenly, many things seem possible. And the people involved are not idealistic, some changes we will happily see now, others we know will only happen in a very distant future - so much so one person hoped he could enjoy some of that change before dying!

Many stakeholders have been advocates for a couple of decades, from their far-seeing conviction of what could be possible in Singapore. Some have been fuelled by their experiences overseas, themselves the fruit of a long, arduous journey involving many groups.

The hurry to appreciate better cycling possibilities hit a hard wall for a long time, with arguments dismissed with the suggestion it was too sweaty to cycle to work. Many believed the dismissal, not having tried mounting a saddle to appreciate the freedom it offered, or discovered the possibilities and joy of cycling to work.

As we grew more urbanised, as foldable bikes flooded the island, as some part of the island were liberated, as we discovered safe short routes at our doorstep, and as people travelled to other cities and experienced the fruits of their efforts and thought about the sort of city we were becoming, as we yearned for ways to liberate our minds from the intensity of city living as all this and more happened, the inevitable happened. The nonsensical suggestions of the past became serious considerations and efforts behind the scenes have begun to be expressed.

At a meeting at the Urban Redevelopment Authority between staff from URA, LTA and stakeholders, some had expected an angry conversation. Instead it was simply fruitful.

Participants found themselves in a conversation with government officers who were familiar with the fundamentals. The group recognised and appreciated experienced suggestions and technical ideas. The focus was very quickly orientated towards the challenges of our inherited infrastructure, attitudes honed by our history and expectations (or lack of) and then on to practical solutions for the short and long-term.

This is the way change often takes place, gradually, over more than a decade!

And this will not be fast enough for some. And there will be growing pains.

The old debates will the resuscitated repeatedly and discussed, often without inheriting the wisdom of the past. Self-serving perspectives will surface noisily - these motorists, cyclists and even pedestrians will argue from a lack of holistic vision or sadly, just selfishness. But I am convinced from public engagements that these are NOT the views of the majority.

I have also been fortunate to experience those who have a vision of a city with considerateness for all users, and these will move the debate towards holistic solutions.

These people inspire, encourage and motivate, and they include folk from all walks of life, civil servants, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. They give me hope for any and all of the challenges we will face in Singapore.

"Pasir Ris cyclists get dedicated path" - rollout of latest path in LTA's National Cycling Plan

There are two cycling networks in Singapore:

1. NParks' Park Connector Network (PCN) (recreational cycling amidst greenery and to connect parks) [link]
2. LTA's National Cycling Plan (cycling paths in seven HDB towns) [link]

The article below refers to the latter.

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"Pasir Ris cyclists get dedicated path," by Jermyn Chow. The Straits Times, 19 Sep 2011. New 1.1km path has separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians

Cyclists trying out the new dedicated cycling path along Pasir Ris Drive 3. The 1.1km stretch that opened yesterday is part of a 13.3km cycling path network that will link different parts of Pasir Ris town and be completed by next year. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

"A 1.1KM path - with separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians - was rolled out in Pasir Ris yesterday.

Instead of sharing with pedestrians an old 1m-wide footpath, cyclists now have their own lane on a path that has doubled in width.

Painted markings identify the cyclists' lane.

Yesterday, 100 residents were among the first to zip down the bike path in Pasir Ris Drive 3. Alongside the cyclists were brisk-walkers.

The stretch is part of a 13.3km cycling path network that will link different parts of Pasir Ris town. It will be completed by next year, and where space permits, there will even be dedicated cycling tracks.

Launching the new cycling path and flagging off a bike trail yesterday was Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Mr Teo, who is also an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said the new path is a 'good step forward' in promoting a safe cycling culture in Pasir Ris where 'cyclists and pedestrians can co-exist'.

He noted that grassroots leaders in Pasir Ris have come up with ideas to stop cyclists from chaining their bicycles to pillars and blocking footpaths.

Mr Alvin Yeo, chairman of the Pasir Ris West Citizens' Consultative Committee, said one preventive measure was constructing railings along the footpaths.

This move was on top of the signs to remind cyclists to park in designated spaces which have bicycle racks.

Mr Yeo said more safe cycling clinics will be conducted, given that seven in 10 residents in Pasir Ris are cyclists. This number is likely to grow as more people move to the area in the next five years.

Safety has been in the spotlight following a spate of deaths involving cyclists. Last year, there were 16 deaths, down from the year before, when there were 17.

In 2007, there were 551 accidents and 22 deaths. Those caught riding in a way that can maim or kill someone could be looking at up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Pasir Ris is one of seven cycling towns where the Land Transport Authority is developing more than 50km of cycling paths. The others are Tampines, Yishun, Taman Jurong, Sembawang, Changi-Simei and Bedok. A cycling network is also being planned for the Marina Bay area and will be ready by 2014. Some $43 million has been set aside to build infrastructure in designated cycling towns.

Cheering the new bike paths is Pasir Ris resident Ong Pang Gee who cycles to Pasir Ris Park and White Sands shopping mall every other day.

The 58-year-old father of three, who is self-employed, said: 'With my own lane, I have peace of mind when I'm on my bike and do not have to worry about knocking into pedestrians.'

jermync@sph.com.sg
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