MODAL SHARE OF CYCLING IN SINGAPORE

MODAL SHARE OF CYCLING IN SINGAPORE

28.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the current penetration rate for bicycles in Singapore; (b) how does this compare to other large cities; and (c) whether the Government has a target proportion given the highly beneficial effects of pro-cyclist policies.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Sir, cycling makes up a small proportion of trips in Singapore today, estimated at about 1.4% of all trips made, comparable with many cities in Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, where the modal share of cycling is around 1%. Cycling modal share can vary quite significantly depending on very localised factors. For instance, cities like New York, Sydney and London have mode shares between 0.5% to 3%, while cities which are known to be extremely bicycle-friendly such as Amsterdam, Munich and Copenhagen have mode shares ranging from 13% to 29%(3) .

Apart from the facilitative role which Government plays in promoting cycling in some of these cities, there are many defining factors which influence and determine the modal share of cycling. Some of these factors would include geographical landscape, culture, climate and road use patterns.

Over the years, cycling has gained popularity among our citizens and has evolved into an alternative option for short-distance trips in local areas, linking commuters from residential areas to major transport nodes such as MRT stations and bus interchanges. We have also observed that most cycling trips made are intra-town trips to transport nodes and key amenities such as town centres or neighbourhood centres which are within a distance of 3 km to 5 km.

In recognition that cycling can be positioned as a non-motorised transport option especially for intra-town short trips and potentially enlarge the catchment to transport nodes such as RTS stations, we have launched the National Cycling Plan in July 2010. As part of the plans, we will be implementing cycling infrastructure starting with seven towns, focusing on the development of dedicated off-road intra-town cycling paths to major transport nodes and key amenities, and enhancing bicycle parking facilities. There is also a longer term plan to implement an extensive network of cycling paths in Marina Bay.

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In addition, to complement these efforts, the Cycling Facilitation Committee, which the Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Teo Ser Luck chairs, adopts a Government-community partnership approach to provide guidance on the "software" aspects such as safe cycling, public education and enforcement issues, and other best practices to facilitate cycling in these seven towns.

Apart from these efforts to facilitate cycling, we will continue to work with the community to progressively roll out cycling initiatives and cycling infrastructure to other parts of the island. We do not have a pre-determined target cycling modal share, but we would plan and scale up the infrastructure to support cycling at a pace that meets the needs of the community.

(3) Source: Pucher and Buehler "Making Cycling Irresistible" Transport Reviews, Vol. 28, 2008.

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