New cycling paths in 7

towns will be progressively

completed from 2024: LTA

More than 30km of cycling paths have been completed in Ang Mo

Kio, Bishan, the CBD, Taman Jurong, Tampines and Toa Payoh.
PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent

UPDATED 13 JAN 2023 AT 7:32 AM SGT

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SINGAPORE - Residents of seven towns in
eastern and north-eastern Singapore will get
new cycling paths in their neighbourhoods from
2024, as part of plans to expand the cycling
networks in those places in stages.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on

Thursday it has called a tender for the
construction of about 55km of new cycling paths
in Geylang, Hougang, Kaki Bukit, Marine Parade,
Potong Pasir, Sengkang and Serangoon.

This is the first of three phases of construction,

and more tenders to build cycling paths in these
seven towns, as well as other estates, are
expected to be called in the future.

According to tender documents seen by The

Straits Times, there will be about 14.2km of new
cycling paths built in Geylang in this first phase,
as well as 11.5km in Serangoon, 9.8km in
Sengkang, 8.4km in Hougang, 5.3km in Marine
Parade, 4.1km in Kaki Bukit and 2.7km in Potong
Pasir.

According to government procurement website

GeBiz, the contract for this tender is expected to
start on Aug 28, 2023, and end on Feb 28, 2025,
with an expected delivery date of Dec 31, 2024.

The new cycling paths are part of LTA’s goal to

double the existing cycling network here from
530km now to 1,300km by 2030.

LTA said the new cycling paths will connect

residents to key amenities, such as transport
nodes and schools, and improve cycling links
between towns.

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The authority will also build more supporting

infrastructure, such as bicycle parking facilities,
bicycle crossings, wheeling ramps and map
boards.

For instance, LTA is proposing to build a new

cycling bridge across Tampines Expressway in
Sengkang, linking Punggol MRT station with
Sengkang Sculpture Park.

Another 3,000 bicycle parking spaces will also

be added to MRT stations here by 2025, LTA said.
This is on top of the existing 254,000 spaces
around the island.

The construction of the new cycling paths will

involve widening existing footpaths in the seven
towns to create more space for walking and
cycling.

As the towns are mature and built up, some

existing road space may be repurposed, and
facilities such as drains and bus stops may be
moved to make way for the new cycling paths.

LTA said it will work closely with other agencies

to assess the technical feasibility of these
changes and engage other stakeholders ahead of
time.

When its 2030 plans are realised, LTA expects

eight in 10 public housing residents to be within
minutes of their nearest cycling path network.

The construction of the new cycling paths in the

seven towns comes after LTA commissioned a
traffic study in 2021 to assess whether parts of
more than 20 roads in the north-east and eastern
parts of the island could be reclaimed and turned
to cycling paths.

The study considered stretches along heavily

utilised roads such as Aljunied Road, Braddell
Road, Upper Serangoon Road, Upper Paya Lebar
Road and MacPherson Road.

LTA had also sought engineering consultancy

services to design 158.9km of new cycling paths
and related infrastructure in the eastern sector
of Singapore, with construction of these paths to
be carried out in three phases until 2030.

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LTA on Thursday said it has made steady

progress towards expanding the cycling path
network here, despite the challenges brought on
by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two
years.

It cited the more than 30km of cycling paths that

have been recently completed in Ang Mo Kio,
Bishan, the Central Business District (CBD),
Taman Jurong, Tampines and Toa Payoh.

Excluding the CBD, Singapore now has 10 towns

with cycling paths, including Bedok, Changi-
Simei, Jurong Lake District, Pasir Ris, Punggol
and Sembawang, LTA added.

It said works on more cycling paths are also

currently in progress in Bishan, Bukit Panjang,
Choa Chu Kang, Toa Payoh and Woodlands.

The authority also highlighted recent projects to

improve inter-town connectivity for active
mobility users, such as the Geylang to city inter-
town route.

LTA said it will continue with its education and

outreach efforts to foster a safe, responsible and
gracious active mobility culture here, in tandem
with the infrastructural enhancements.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, MP for Potong Pasir, welcomed

Thursday’s news.

He said more residents in his ward have been

picking up cycling since the pandemic struck,
and building up cycling infrastructure will
support this trend.

Properly demarcated cycling paths will also

improve safety for road users and pedestrians, he
added.

Sengkang GRC MPs He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and

Louis Chua said they look forward to working
closely with LTA on the project.

In 2022, the three MPs had asked Sengkang

residents for ideas on how to improve the cycling
experience in the town. They said they are
looking forward to sharing their findings with
the authorities.

Cycling enthusiasts also welcomed the news.

“More dedicated cycling paths are good,

especially for newer, less experienced riders or
those who do not appreciate the current road
conditions,” said Mr Woon Taiwoon, co-founder
of recreational cycling group Love Cycling SG.

“As the bike paths become more pervasive and

connected, it will get more attractive to cycle.
What people want is a safe, easy, direct route,” he
added.

Mr Francis Chu, fellow co-founder of Love

Cycling SG, said LTA should look into ways to
physically separate cyclists from pedestrians to
improve the safety of path users.

He also suggested introducing continuous

cycling paths along major roads, such as Geylang
Road, where cyclists need to stop at every
intersection to give way to cars turning into and
out of side roads.

Singapore Cycling Federation

president Hing Siong Chen said the new cycling
paths – many of which will be located in older
housing estates – will improve connectivity and
safety, especially for more elderly commuters.

Dr Hing also stressed the importance of

education and public awareness, adding: “It
takes the whole nation to realise our car-lite
vision for the future and to promote commutes
using active mobility devices.”

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