LTA exhibition envisions greener ways to travel

From Tuas to Neo Tiew Road to the future Greater Southern Waterfront, infrastructure dedicated to walking and cycling built over the next decade could allow people to travel across the island without the need to use any roads.

Plans for an elevated skypark for pedestrians above Bukit Timah Canal that will connect to three national gardens - Jurong Lake Gardens, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay - are being studied.

Active mobility corridors - a mix of cycling paths, park connectors and other recreational routes - are just one idea that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has up its sleeve as it looks to transform how people move around Singapore.

These future plans are showcased in a new exhibition launched yesterday that commemorates LTA's 25th anniversary. The exhibition, titled Connecting People, Places And Possibilities, is being held at the Singapore Mobility Gallery in LTA's headquarters in Hampshire Road.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, which was attended by guests who had played a part in the conception of LTA, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said integrating land use and town and transport planning has become the norm. LTA, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Housing Board, the National Parks Board and JTC work much closer together on this front, he added.

But in a post-Covid-19 world, integrated planning will need to consider other factors, such as shifting work hours, Mr Ong said. With working from home becoming the norm, there has been a structural shift in morning peak hours and the blurring of work and living spaces will likely see neighbourhoods bustle with different activities throughout the day, he added.

"This could change the way we size our transport infrastructure (and) the way we design our living and working environments, down to the ergonomic details."

Also on display at the exhibition is LTA's vision of how transport infrastructure here will evolve.

The 1,300km worth of cycling paths it intends to build by 2030 will make it more conducive to cycle and walk within towns. Some of these cycling paths, and the 500km of park connectors to be built by 2030, will form active mobility corridors that act as trunk routes between different towns and the city.

Meanwhile, projects such as the upcoming North-South Corridor (NSC) and new towns such as Tengah provide a clean slate to redesign streets that prioritise public transport and active mobility.

NSC's viaducts and tunnels are expected to alleviate traffic on surface roads, allowing for ideas such as bus-only roads and pedestrianised streets to be explored.

LTA is also exploring ways to convert Robinson Road, which connects Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar, into a transit priority corridor in the Central Business District, possibly from 2024 onwards.

The road could be turned into a bus-only street with wider pavements, cycling paths, bicycle-parking facilities and more greenery. More of such transit priority corridors can be expected in future.

LTA chief executive Ng Lang said: "By building better streets, introducing greener modes of transport... we can contribute towards our common aspiration to build an even more liveable city."

The six-month exhibition will be open to the public on weekdays between 9.30am and 5pm starting next Tuesday. Those who want to visit the exhibition can book a slot three working days in advance via the LTA website.