More active mobility corridors, possible repurposing of Robinson Road among plans showcased in LTA exhibition

The exhibition is being held at the Singapore Mobility Gallery in LTA's headquarters in Hampshire Road. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE - 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 the 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 being showcased in a new exhibition commemorating LTA's 25th anniversary that was launched on Friday (April 22).

The exhibition, titled Connecting People, Places And Possibilities, is being held at the Singapore Mobility Gallery in LTA's headquarters in Hampshire Road.

It was postponed from last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Charting LTA's history since its formation in 1995, it will allow visitors to better visualise the road ahead, the authority said.

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, town and transport planning has become the norm.

The LTA, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Housing Board, National Parks Board (NParks) and JTC work much closer together on this front, he said.

But in a post-Covid-19 world, integrated planning will go beyond three dimensions, 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."

The LTA is now developing the road network, which takes up about 12 per cent of Singapore's land area, into a broader mobility network that accommodates alternative transport, such as bicycles, personal mobility devices, running and walking, Mr Ong said.

Plans for an elevated skypark for pedestrians above the Bukit Timah Canal that will connect to three national gardens are being studied. PHOTO: NPARKS

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

The 1,300km of cycling paths it intends to build by 2030 will help make it more conducive to cycle and walk within towns.

Some of these cycling paths, and the 500km of park connectors that will also be built by 2030, will form active mobility corridors that act as trunk routes between towns and the city.

One example is the 24km-long Rail Corridor. Other examples are the Queenstown-to-city and Geylang-to-city cycling routes, which expand on existing park connectors and are expected to be completed next year.

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

The viaducts and tunnels that make up the NSC are expected to alleviate traffic on surface roads, allowing for ideas such as bus-only roads and pedestrianised streets to be explored.

An artist's impression of how a section of the North-South Corridor could look like when completed. PHOTO: LTA

Another possible idea is centre-median bus lanes, which are located in the middle of the road instead of the leftmost lane.

Last month, LTA said it identified 60 possible road repurposing projects islandwide, including pedestrianising the Civic District.

It has already started trials to repurpose short stretches of roads near Kampung Admiralty and in Havelock Road.

LTA is 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.

An artist's impression of how Robinson Road could look like in the future. PHOTO: LTA

LTA chief executive Ng Lang said land transport can be a lot more than just moving people between places.

"By building better streets, introducing greener modes of transport... we think that we can contribute towards our common aspiration to build a even more liveable city."

The six-month exhibition will be open to the public on weekdays between 9.30am and 5pm from next Tuesday (April 27). Those who want to visit the exhibition can book a slot three working days in advance via the LTA website.

Additional reporting by Toh Ting Wei

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