Cycling infrastructure in Singapore
Ang Mo Kio, a populous town in the centre of Singapore, has been appointed as the country’s first model cycling and walking town. The ‘mature’ town features all the necessary amenities and infrastructure; the challenge is to design cycling-specific infrastructure that fits within the space constraints of the town and provides seamless connectivity.
Witteveen+Bos and Singapore-based design and engineering consultancy firm Surbana Jurong were awarded a contract by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the planning and design of Ang Mo Kio’s cycling network. The development of this network and effective pedestrian infrastructure designed for future growth will ensure that the area’s 175,000 inhabitants can cycle and walk safely and comfortably.
Asian megacities were designed for motorised traffic; due to increased prosperity and intensive use of the available space, however, road congestion is rapidly approaching critical levels. This has led Singapore to actively pursue a policy for a number of years now to discourage car ownership and promote alternative modes of transport. To achieve its aim, the government is busy spreading its vision and conducting a campaign to turn Singapore into a ‘car-lite’ region. The vision involves promoting public transport, cycling and walking, with the Land Transport Authority selecting densely populated Ang Mo Kio to be a model town for this strategy.
Dutch expertise in cycling infrastructure
In the pre-design phase, Witteveen+Bos drew on its Dutch cycling infrastructure expertise as well as experience gained in Singapore to produce an optimal infrastructure design. In the final design phase, local engineers helped take the design further under Witteveen+Bos’s supervision. A unique feature of our approach involved spatial analysis, which enabled us to design ideal cycle routes and intersections within the existing, densely built-up environment. The envisioned future increase in cycling among residents was also factored in to help identify later options for upgrading.
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