Cycle for what?
Maybe you can’t remember when you last cycled. Maybe you sleep in your bike shorts (it’s ok, I won’t tell anyone else). Whichever way, here are some pros and cons of cycling to consider.
| Pros | Cons | |
| To cyclists | – Exercise – Control over travel time – Possibly lower travel costs |
– Exposure to vehicle exhaust – Exposure to weather – Danger from reckless drivers |
| To pedestrians | – Less vehicle exhaust | – Danger from reckless cyclists |
| To other road users | – Less people on buses/MRT – Less cars |
– More to look out for when driving – Possibly slower traffic speeds |
| In general | – Less carbon emissions – Less air pollution – Less noise pollution |
– More sweaty people (cyclists might need shower facilities at destination) |
But wait, bike lanes? What bike lanes?
Good question. Here’s a little background information.
- It is legal to cycle on roads (except expressways), but there are no bike lanes on roads, and no plans to build any. The reason given is scarcity of land.
- It is not legal to cycle on pedestrian pavements except where Cycling on Footways schemes are in place, such as in Tampines. (However it seems this law is not always strictly enforced.)
- Bike lanes are being built along Park Connectors, beside jogging paths. These will total 360km by the year 2020.
- There are already bike lanes in HDB towns such as Pasir Ris. These are mostly beside pedestrian pavements and lead to key transport nodes such as MRT stations. More such lanes and more parking will be built over the next 5 years.
(1) Cycling on Footways scheme, Tampines – from here, accessed 15 Jul 2009
(2) Park Connector, Pasir Ris – from here, accessed 15 Jul 2009
(3) Multi-storey bike parking, Pasir Ris MRT – from here, accessed 15 Jul 2009
Now imagine that Singapore has…
- dedicated bike lanes wherever there are bus routes
- public bike parking not just at train stations
- cyclist licensing pass safety test first – no licence, cannot use bike lanes
- clear cycling laws for cyclists and other road users
If you’re taking the survey, you can leave this window open for reference and continue, thanks.
August 3, 2009 at 10:45 am
Developing bike paths and lanes would be fantastic. It’s a good way to exercise and an efficient way to get around.
August 3, 2009 at 10:48 am
Didn’t know about the bike lanes but that’s great. Think I will still cycle largely for leisure.
August 3, 2009 at 3:54 pm
The bike lanes seem mostly in the east, but that’s a start nonetheless – might be a while before they come to Bt Panjang though!
August 3, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I am for bike lanes, parkings snd safety licence/regulations and laws for cyclists
August 4, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Good project, Ning! Certainly support you. Besides completing the survey, have also forwarded it to some friends. Hope they too will respond. See you back soon.
August 4, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Thanks Chocolate man!
August 5, 2009 at 9:46 am
Hi
I’m for bike lanes. It doesn’t take up a lot of space on the roads.
Many people cycle in Europe. In Paris, one can rent a bike with a card. Unfortunately, it seems that system has been abused somewhat and some bikes were destroyed. Cycling is great when you don’t want to squeeze in a bus.
But safety is a key factor for me. If there are no bike lanes, I wouldn’t attempt to cycle especially in Singapore’s heavy traffic.
Regards
San-Ju
August 10, 2009 at 2:25 pm
My family cycle a lot for recreation and exercise but shudder,am anxious each time my young sons 15 and 12 are out on their own. Yes to bike lanes Yes to compulsory helmets and yes to more safe parking stations (Have lost bikes twice in 2 years).
Good Job !
August 10, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Hi Yogarani,
Glad to hear you guys cycle plenty. It really shouldn’t be a cause for parental worry, so another reason to make cycling safer and easier in Singapore – healthier kids and healthier (less anxious, lower blood pressure) parents! 🙂
August 12, 2009 at 1:24 am
oops… accidently pressed Submit…
I was writing… I will certainly refer your survey to my friends and trust you will share the outcome with those interested.
Thank you for your great work.
Cor-Henk, SCTF
August 12, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Yay bike lanes will be nice. But more bike stands will also be needed to lock and secure our bikes. My bike got stolen, Im very sad. These lanes can promote roller blading/ skateboarding too.
August 13, 2009 at 12:12 am
Hi Amanda, sorry to hear about your bike 😦 Better parking is definitely needed, including parking which you can lock your frame to, not just your wheels, because that gives the wheel-making companies lots of business (wheels are easily twisted if locked to something).
Hmm rollerblading is another good way of getting around, but I’m not so sure about rollerblading on roads if bike lanes were on roads… if you were fast enough and obeyed traffic rules, maybe! Certainly the recreational bike lanes like park connectors are good for blading/boarding, and I expect serious inline skaters might be able to seek LTA permission to use similar routes as sports cyclists do for training, though precautions like being visible would be essential.
August 18, 2009 at 10:45 am
First,I recall that in the 60’s, maybe into the 70’s, it was quite common to have a pedestrian/bike lane along most roads. You can stil find such lanes today. As it is used both for pedestrians and bikes, it is not efficient because pedestrians do not like to bikes to use them and vice versa. Most of such lanes disappeared with road widening. Second, look at the bike lanes in East Coast Park, from my experience the cyclists have not been very considerate. Third, one finds more and more people using bikes on the main roads nowadays. This is because there are more and more immigrants from the PRC. Most Singaporeans would not dare or want to go on the main roads on bikes.
November 8, 2009 at 10:59 pm
I have been cycling to work since the beginning of the year and I simply love it!
I’m lucky that I live close to my workplace and there are bike lanes in the neighbourhood.
I think we can definitely do with more bike lanes in Singapore!
G.Wheelers is organising an event to gather support for cyclists in Singapore who wish to share their love for cycling and skating as a green form of transportation.
Visit our blogsite to find out more and give us your support! We believe that together, we can make a difference!
http://gwheelerdoyourpart.xanga.com/
Sign up here: http://gwheelerdoyourpart.xanga.com/715853568/be-a-g-wheeler-and-go-g-wheeling/
Go G.Wheelers!
February 18, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Developing bike paths and lanes is a must, this will reduce air pollution, improve our health, more efficient transportation means, I definitely support the development of bike path and lanes on all public roads other than express ways
August 9, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Singapore world highest car density per population is UNSUSTAINABLE..
COE collections maybe ideal to tax the rich and also avoiding an otherwise higher personal income tax for all – but it is not working to reduce the car population in Singapore.
There have been calls to do something about this heavy traffic situation here, but apparently the COE collections is too great for Government to sacrifice it for the sakes of a cleaner enviro – and a safer environment for cyclists.
November 19, 2012 at 12:30 pm
The bicycle is here to stay in Singapore like it or not. sooner or later, there will be enough voices to speak up for the bikers. For the moment, every one is so car crazy as you can see all those advertisements almost every day. For such a small country, can the government keep on ignoring the environment to the detriment of people’s health.
On the other hand, the government will lose income on COE and road tax, so the issue is quite complicated. We all just hope common sense will prevail and pray to God, that those in power should seriously think about it.
November 21, 2012 at 3:43 pm
The sad thing about all this is none of our leaders cycle regularly , Maybe Teo ser Luck but defintely not the others. So dont expect any strong support for cycling lanes .
April 24, 2013 at 9:50 am
I cycle to work here once a week, 29km each way from Tuas Ave 1 to Tiong Baru. I love the ride but it is the most dangerous riding I have ever done. China is safe compared to here. Buses are the main worry. In a city as modern and green as Singapore it is a great, great shame the government does not see the advantages of cycling and make some cycle paths as a matter of priority on major commuting routs.
Singapore has a population of health minded people, what better way to alleviate congestion and help keep people fit, if just 3% started riding to work regularly this would save a lot of fuel and bus seats.
Education for bus drivers would also be a great help.
One good thing is that, at least in the urban areas most people don’t seem to mind sharing the foot paths with cyclists, but this city is crying out for a system of cycle commuter routs.