SINGAPORE - Cyclists heading to the city centre will soon be able to park their bicycles in more dedicated areas, with roadside car parking spaces in Outram and Telok Ayer set to be reclaimed for this purpose.

Two car parking spaces in Club Street have already been converted into a bicycle parking space as at the end of June, and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) aims to create a total of 100 new bicycle parking spots in the Central Business District (CBD) by this quarter.

This will be done by repurposing two car parking spaces each in Telok Ayer Street, Boon Tat Street, Tras Street and Bukit Pasoh Road, LTA said in response to queries.

Each car parking space yields about 10 bicycle parking spaces.

The cycling path network in the CBD will also be expanded by another 3.8km, with new paths to be built along Marina Boulevard, Shenton Way, Cecil Street, Cross Street, Pickering Street, and parts of South Bridge Road and North Canal Road.

Most of these new paths are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Currently, there are about 15km of cycling paths in the CBD, mostly around Bayfront, Marina South and Gardens by the Bay.

The provision of more bicycle parking facilities in the CBD is meant to encourage more people to take up active mobility in the city centre, LTA said.

But there is a lack of space to build new infrastructure, hence the need to repurpose roadside car parking spaces there.

In late 2019, LTA converted two roadside car parking spaces in Jiak Chuan Road in Chinatown into bicycle parking spaces as part of a trial - which it said was a success.

In a letter to owners and tenants of shophouses there at the time, LTA had said that the move would help to curb indiscriminate bicycle parking in the area.

A waiter at Kafe Utu in Jiak Chuan Road said there were quite a lot of customers who cycled to the African-inspired eatery for brunch on weekends after the new bicycle parking spots were put up, though there are not as many now.

Ms Pang Su Yi, founder of Bao Makers, also in Jiak Chuan Road, said the new bicycle parking spaces have not brought too many cyclists to her eatery, but it has helped with the issue of improperly parked bicycles.

She said some cyclists used to park their bicycles along the walkway outside her eatery and nearby shophouses, obstructing it.

"People park properly now so it is less of a hazard," she added.

Cycling enthusiasts said more parking facilities for two-wheelers can only be a good thing, but there are questions over the utility of the new lots, since there is a lack of proper cycling infrastructure around the Outram and Telok Ayer area.

Musician Afiq Syazani, 34, who used to cycle often through Duxton Plain Park near Bukit Pasoh and Jiak Chuan Road, said the Outram and Telok Ayer area is quite hilly and generally car-centric, which discourages active mobility.

Mr Francis Chu, co-founder of cycling group Love Cycling SG, said: "People may feel unsafe to cycle on the street."

He suggested that the speed limit at these locations be lowered to 20kmh and traffic-calming measures, such as more road humps, be put in place.

Mr Woon Taiwoon, who is also a co-founder of Love Cycling SG, suggested that the authorities work with local businesses to give perks to cyclists or create social media campaigns around cycling in the CBD.

"There is only so much you can do with repurposing a car parking space," he said.

Mr Afiq said LTA should put up signs around the new bicycle parking facilities and the roads leading to them, so that the public know to use them.

"Even if you're just walking past, the signage will increase awareness of the area's cycling potential," he added.

LTA said it will continue to study other suitable areas to implement more bicycle parking to enhance the cycling experience in Singapore, as the islandwide cycling network here is being expanded from about 500km now to 1,300km by 2030.

The Government had also previously said it would add 3,000 more bicycle parking spaces at MRT stations here by 2025, on top of the 27,000 parking spaces at public transport nodes now.

"These are small wins," said Love Cycling SG's Mr Woon.

"With more bicycle parking spots, I hope it can encourage more people to try cycling around the CBD instead of driving."