SINGAPORE - Five HDB towns will get more than 40km of cycling paths over the next five years, as part of efforts to expand the island's cycling infrastructure, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Tuesday (March 26).
The five towns are Woodlands, Toa Payoh, Choa Chu Kang, Geylang and Queenstown, and tenders to build the cycling paths will be called later this year, added LTA.
Toa Payoh will get 7km of cycling paths - a first for a town that does not have a cycling network now.
LTA, in a statement on Tuesday (March 26), said: "Existing infrastructure such as bus stops will be redesigned to better accommodate cyclists and pedestrians."
In the northern town of Woodlands, 20km will be added to the existing 4km of cycling paths and more than 8km of park connectors. When completed, the town's cycling network will be among the largest in the country, said LTA. The cycling paths, LTA said, will link users to key amenities and four MRT stations - Marsiling, Woodlands and Admiralty MRT stations on the North South Line, and the Woodlands South station on the Thomson-East Coast Line, which will open by the end of this year.
Another 12km of cycling paths will be added to Choa Chu Kang's existing network, which now runs for just half a kilometre.
LTA said it is also studying the feasibility of widening the existing footpath along Choa Chu Kang West Flyover to a 2.5m-wide shared path.
Said an LTA spokesman: "This will improve cycling connectivity between Choa Chu Kang town and Yew Tee town, which are currently separated by the Kranji Expressway."
In addition, 150m of cycling paths will be built in Geylang, and 2.3km of these paths will be introduced in Queenstown. The cycling paths will connect to existing park connectors in these areas, and allow residents to cycle directly to the city centre.
There are now about 120km of cycling paths across the island. The plan is to ramp up the islandwide cycling network to about 700km by 2030 - with a "comprehensive cycling network" in all 26 Housing Board towns, LTA said.
Separately, LTA said it will call for a design consultancy tender later this year to study how to enhance the walking environment within the Jurong Lake District (JLD), and improve its active mobility connectivity to neighbouring towns.
"This will complement the existing 15km cycling path network in the JLD and upcoming cycling paths in Taman Jurong that are expected to be completed in 2020," LTA said.
It added that this would enhance efforts to make the area - earmarked as the Republic's second Central Business District - a "truly car-lite district".
The Jurong Lake District was one of five areas identified by LTA as car-lite precincts last November.
