SINGAPORE - An underground bicycle parking facility next to Admiralty MRT station fell victim to the rapid growth in popularity of dockless shared bicycles and e-scooters.
Explaining why the $4.7 million facility failed, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told the House that the rise of dockless shared bicycles and personal mobility devices had "dramatically shifted the usage and parking patterns of privately owned bicycles".
This in turn "fundamentally altered the economics of paid underground bicycle parking", he said on Tuesday (Feb 4).
As fees collected could not cover operating costs, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) decided to end the trial on Dec 28 last year, he added.
Mr Khaw was responding to Nominated MP Walter Theseira, who asked about the studies, projections and cost-benefit analyses surrounding the underground bicycle parking facility.
The facility, SecureMyBike, was built to house more than 500 bicycles and address the local shortage of bicycle parking spaces.
Located within the Kampung Admiralty development next to the MRT station, the facility opened on Jan 5, 2018 after four years of construction.
To entice users, parking was made free throughout January 2018.
But just three spaces were used daily between February 2018 and September last year, while fewer than five monthly passes were purchased on average.
Mr Khaw recounted how there was a "serious" shortage of surface bicycle parking spaces at Admiralty station during peak hours when the facility was being conceived, leading to indiscriminate parking.
According to projections, he said more than 500 spaces were needed to cater to long-term demand near Admiralty station.
The next decision was whether to build more surface parking or underground parking.
"Surface parking was cheaper to build, but underground parking would free up valuable surface space for other uses. This is an important consideration in land-scarce Singapore," he said.
Prior to building the facility, Mr Khaw said the LTA had studied Japan's extensive underground bicycle parking spaces, which could each store up to 200 bicycles and charged users up to $35 a month for their use.
In comparison, the Admiralty facility charged users either a monthly fee of $22 for unlimited use, or 25 cents per hour, which rose to $48 a month, or 45 cents an hour after three months.
Despite the "disappointing" outcome, the minister expressed hope that such bicycle parking facilities could regain favour should the usage of shared and privately owned bicycles rise as the number of PMDs comes down.
The 198 sq m of underground parking space can be repurposed, he said, adding the Government is keeping its options open, as the situation remains fluid.
"I would not be surprised that similar high-intensity underground bicycle parking systems may be needed in Singapore, perhaps even at Kampung Admiralty, in the future," he said.
