Cycling infrastructure in Singapore

Ang Mo Kio, a populated district in the central part of Singapore, is appointed to be the first model cycling and walking town of Singapore. This so-called mature town has all the amenities and infrastructure. The challenge is to design a cycling infrastructure that fits within the space-constrained town, providing seamless connectivity.

Witteveen+Bos and Singapore-based design and engineering consultancy Surbana Jurong were awarded a contract by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the planning and design of the cycling network in the city’s Ang Mo Kio district.  The development of a bicycle network and a good pedestrian infrastructure that is designed for future growth will ensure that 175,000 inhabitants of the district can cycle and walk safely and comfortably.

Asian megacities have been designed for motorised traffic. Due to increased prosperity and intensive use of the available space, road congestion is rapidly approaching critical levels. For that reason, Singapore has been actively pursuing a policy for a number of years now to discourage car ownership and to promote alternative modes of transport. To achieve that aim, the government is communicating a vision and conducting a campaign to turn Singapore into a ‘car-lite’ city. This vision involves promoting public transport, cycling and walking. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority selected the densely populated Ang Mo Kio district as a model town for this strategy.

Dutch expertise in cycling infrastructure

In the pre-design phase, Witteveen+Bos will draw on its Dutch cycling infrastructure expertise as well as experiences gained in Singapore in order to design excellent infrastructure. In the final design phase, local engineers will contribute to taking the designs a step further under Witteveen+Bos’ supervision. A unique feature of our approach is the spatial analysis that enables us to decide how to design cycle routes and intersections in the existing densely built-up environment. The envisioned increase in cycle usage will also be factored in, even at this early stage, by identifying upgrade options.