The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has called a tender to construct 20 km of new cycling paths in the areas such as Kallang, Bukit Merah, Telok Blangah and the city where cyclists will have an easier time getting around when new cycling paths will are completed from next year.
This is the inauguration of the phased construction of cycling paths in the central region contributing to an estimated total of 150 km, which will reach completion by 2030, subject to LTA’s feasibility study results. The 20 km of paths which will be progressively completed from the following year, will improve connectivity to transport nodes such as schools, neighbourhood centres and MRT stations and such amenities, according to LTA.
According to LTA, additional tenders are in the works for cycling paths in other areas including the West of Singapore, and will be shared when they are ready. According to The Straits Times, about 6.9 km of new cycling paths will be built in Bukit Merah, 6.8km in Kallang, 5 km in the city, and 1.3 km in Bukit Timah, which amount to a total of 20 km of new paths which will be progressively added to the cycling path network of the island.
The new paths in Bukit Merah will be spread across West Coast Highway from Alexandra Road to Sentosa Gateway Tunnel, in the Redhill and Tiong Bahru neighbourhoods, along Jalan Bukit Merah and a stretch of Keppel Road near the exit at Marina Coastal Expressway. The new paths in the Kallang area include a connecting stretch between Geylang Bahru and Boon Keng, another from Lavender to Bendemeer and one connecting Sims Avenue to Mountbatten Road.
The new paths within the city are located in the vicinity of Clarke Quay, Newton, Farrer Park, Gardens by the Bay, 313@Somerset, Maxwell, and Great World City, together with a connecting stretch from Marina Boulevard to Shenton Way.
The new paths in Bukit Timah link residences to amenities located along the areas of Jalan Jurong Kechil and Toh Tuck Road. The expected date of delivery is December 31st, 2025, and the contract is expected to last 18 months, according to tender documents. This recent cycling path expansion follows the previous LTA tender in January, to construct new paths in 7 towns in the East and North-east, which are expected to enhance cycling links in estates such as Sengkang, Geylang, Marine Parade and Hougang. 14.5 km of new cycling paths have been completed elsewhere, in Bishan, Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio while a further 3.5 km of cycling paths will be ready this year in Bishan.
LTA has further planned to expand the cycling network islandwide to 1,300km by 2030. Francis Chu, Co-founder of the recreational cycling group Love SG, who regularly cycles in the Kallang area, welcomed the new paths as the current footpaths along Upper Boon Keng Road are extremely narrow, while some of them are damaged by the growth of tree roots.
The new cycling paths will have a significant improvement on cyclists’ commuting experience and pedestrians’ safety, he added.
In designing these new paths, Mr. Chu suggested further prioritizing cyclists’ safety since some of the present ones are fragmented, and cyclists are compelled to give way to cars at road intersections. He added that LTA could consider constructing narrower road turns since these will encourage traffic to slow down and check for pedestrians and cyclists before turning. He cited a new cycling path along Telok Blangah Road between Seah Im Road and Henderson Road. He noted as an example that cyclists who travel along that stretch would have to either slow down or stop 17 times within a distance of 0.7 km merely to give way to cars. Greg Choong, a Member of the recumbent cycling group Laidback HPV SG, frequently cycles to the city area from Bukit Timah. He stated that the new cycling paths do not present seamless connecting routes into the Central Business District (CBD).
He further added that there were no direct links for cyclists coming from major arterial routes such as the Rail Corridor towards the CBD which prevents them from safely reaching the CBD.
