Great Escape: Eastern Coastal Park Connectors

Sandra Leong, Straits Times 16 Dec 07;
Get away from the concrete jungle by heading to the new 42km Eastern Coastal Park Connectors Network on your bike

IF YOU'RE someone who spends most of your time shuttling between air-conditioned malls and cinemas, there's never been a better time to get on your bike.

That's because of a new network of trails on the east coast that makes cycling in the great outdoors a breeze.

You can wheel it from Siglap to Pasir Ris to Changi and back in as little as two hours, thanks to the completion of the 42km Eastern Coastal Park Connectors Network (PCN for short.)

The $22 million cycling network, which took the National Parks Board (NParks) a decade to complete, links six parks via trails taking riders through heartland estates and along picturesque canals.

The final piece in the grid - the 7km Coastal Park Connector - was unveiled on Dec 7.

So far, 100km of park connectors have been completed across the island, with NParks planning a further 100km by 2015 as part of a plan to transform Singapore into a 'City-in-a-Garden'.

On a rare fine day last week, LifeStyle took a joyride to check out the various routes. And don't worry about getting lost. NParks has placed PCN in bold letters on the track at strategic spots.

Suburban sights

THE start. Park at Carpark C4 along East Coast Park and take the overhead bridge - push your bike up a ramp - to get to the 4.5km Siglap Park Connector that takes you all the way from Marine Parade to Bedok Reservoir Park.

As you go alongside Siglap Canal, you find yourself smack in upper middle-class suburbia - the backyards of the Telok Kurau private estate. The route does get a little congested during mornings and evenings, so expect a slow ride.

Emerge at Kembangan MRT and continue towards the Pan Island Expressway where, once again, you have to push your bike up an overhead ramp (see story on facing page).

Cross over and go through the scenic Bedok Town Park, a length of greenery that eventually connects with Bedok Reservoir Park. You might even catch people wakeboarding there.

From here, you have two choices. Head back to East Coast Park using the 6km Bedok Park Connector, which takes you through a series of canals - one of them parallel to food factories complete with tantalising aromas wafting over to you. Or link up with the 5.4km Tampines Park Connector.

Heartland explorer

THIS route takes you up close and personal with the Tampines HDB estate, as the cycling paths are incorporated into the pedestrian walkways close to the void decks.

For a drink, stop at the several no-name sundry shops along the way.

After some distance, the track turns left towards Tampines Central where you can stop at neighbourhood shopping hubs Tampines Mall and Century Square

Look out for the S-11 kopitiam further down for a hawker fare fix. Past the Tampines Regional Library, you'll reach Sun Plaza Park which has a playground with slides shaped like elephants and crocodiles. From there, join the 2.3km Pasir Ris Park Connector.

The far East

THE pace of life is slower here and you'll encounter fewer motorists and pedestrians. Behind an HDB estate, cross a canal - people go fishing here - via a quaint wooden footbridge.

There's another overhead bridge to cross. Soon you end up at Pasir Ris Town Park, a hotspot for pond fishing. At the end, turn right and go down Pasir Ris Drive 3 towards Loyang and eventually the 3.4km Loyang Park Connector.

There's nothing much to see here except greenery and the odd industrial building. The route winds into some deserted places so it's not advisable to go alone.

Finally, you hit the renowned Changi Village where you can tuck into nasi lemak and sugarcane juice. Arrive after dusk and you may see 'ah kuas' (Hokkien for transvestites).

The ride through Changi Beach Park is pleasant, with lampposts and a footbridge over water where bumboats bob. The last and most daunting bit beckons: the 7.9km Coastal Park Connector.

Ride for your life

THIS flat, straight stretch is bliss. Ride alongside the runways of Changi Airport, with the roar of jet engines urging you to pedal harder and faster.

The only downer is the strong wind, which can slow you down if you're riding into it. But soldier on to reach the best part of the Eastern network.

The connector turns off into a picturesque spot beside a canal that spills over into the sea. The path is shrouded by a canopy of trees and, from the gaps in the greenery, you can view the bellies of planes coming in to land - so close you can see their unfurling wheels. From here, link back to East Coast Park and back to your start point.

Don't forget to reward yourself with a hard-earned drink on the way back by wheeling up to Sunset Bay, a new incarnation of the once-famous Sentosa beach bar institution.

After 42km of pedal power, it's bound to hit the spot.

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