UNDERGROUND PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS

Mr Tay Beng Chuan asked the Minister for Communications and Information Technology whether his Ministry will consider building underground pedestrian walkways to link up City Hall MRT station to the major commercial buildings in North Bridge Road/High Street area to improve the road safety and ease the traffic congestion there.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Where it is cost effective to do so, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will provide underground linkages from MRT stations to nearby major developments. When City Hall MRT station was built, it was linked to Raffles City. An underground pedestrian walkway was also constructed under Stamford Road to connect the station to the St. Andrew's Cathedral side of North Bridge Road. More recently, a private developer has constructed an underground shopping mall, City Link, that connects Suntec City to the City Hall MRT station. These walkways take care of the major pedestrian movements to and from the MRT station.

LTA has no plans to provide an underground walkway from City Hall MRT station to the North Bridge Road/High Street area. The commercial developments in this area are less intensive and hence attract a lower pedestrian traffic. There are already adequate pedestrian crossings at the signalised junctions and good walkways along North Bridge Road for pedestrians' use.