Study shows Tampines residents quite positive to idea of sharing paths
Melissa Sim, Straits Times 9 Jun 08;
THE year-long trial in Tampines to allow cyclists on footpaths might well be extended.
Residents will know the decision in two weeks - be it to extend the trial, to allow cyclists on footpaths or to send them back to the roads.
Speaking at the fourth Tampines Town Hall Forum, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, a Tampines GRC MP, said the Tampines grassroots groups would consult the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Traffic Police, but 'ultimately, whether we proceed or not, depends on the residents'.
He noted that the response to the trial and figures from an evaluation done by an independent consultancy seem to indicate that Tampines residents were 'moderately positive' about cyclists and pedestrians sharing the footpaths.
The trial ended on May 30.
It had its roots in a 2005 parliamentary debate, when Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng called for footpaths to be opened up to cyclists, given a rising number of road accidents involving them. She offered Tampines as a testing ground as it has paths as wide as 3m in some areas.
Already some infrastructural changes have been made in the housing estate in the last year.
MP and Tampines Town Council chairman Ong Kian Min told residents that the council had built a short bicycle lane in Tampines Street 32 behind a bus stop to end friction between cyclists and bus commuters.
On top of this, about $1million will go into building 2.2km of additional bicycle lanes in the estate by mid-next year.
The LTA will also work with the town council over the next three to five years to build a $3.5 million, 7km-long bicycle network that will connect residents to schools, train stations and bus interchanges.
Mr Mah said he knew Tampines as an estate of cyclists, and that the trial was aimed at making it safer for them to get around.
But, he said, this should not be at the expense of the safety of pedestrians, some of whom feel that sharing the footpaths with cyclists would put the young and the very old at risk of being run down.
Figures from the Traffic Police, however, indicate that no pedestrian-cyclist accidents happened in Tampines before or during the trial.
On the roads there, 25 reported accidents between motorists and cyclists occurred last year and three in the first quarter of this year.
TSM consultancy, engaged by a committee comprising Tampines grassroots groups, the LTA and the Traffic Police to evaluate the trial, noted that 'conflict rates' - calculated from the number of times cyclists had to swerve or brake divided by the number of cyclists observed - have been more than halved.
The evaluation also suggested that cyclists were practising the footpath courtesies they had been taught at the start of the trial.
A poll of 565 cyclists and non-cyclists in Tampines also turned up a positive response: About 70 per cent of non-cyclists either said they were for allowing cyclists on footpaths or for extending the trial; 80 per cent of cyclists took this view.
Tampines North resident Edmund Quay, 70, a retiree, said he was for the trial continuing, but with 'a greater emphasis on safety education for both cyclists and pedestrians'. Of cyclists speeding on the footpaths, he said: 'Those are just a few black sheep. As a pedestrian, I still support the idea.'
Tampines considers extending trial to let cyclists share footpath with pedestrians
Channel NewsAsia 8 Jun 08;
SINGAPORE : Going green is becoming a popular choice among some Tampines residents in this age of rising fuel prices.
They are considering whether to extend a year-long trial of allowing cyclists on the same paths as pedestrians.
Cyclists can be seen all over Tampines, probably one of the most bicycle-friendly towns in Singapore.
Last May, it started a year-long trial to let cyclists share the footpath with pedestrians.
They even had volunteer traffic wardens to educate both parties on the right use of the path.
The area's MPs are now looking at three options - legislate the system, extend the trial or drop it altogether.
But before a decision is made, residents got a chance to give their feedback on Sunday, and there were strong opinions for and against the idea.
One resident said, "If cyclists choose to go on the footpath, then they must observe all the safety precautions."
Another said, "Cycling on the footpath - I will definitely appreciate it."
A third commented, "It is a good way to promote bicycling."
A fourth noted, "I am of the view that (we are) not ready to legislate until the infrastructure is all ready."
One concern the residents have is of pedestrians being knocked into, even when they have right of way.
Another is that the authorities are merely shifting the problem of high accident figures involving cyclists on the roads, to the footpaths.
But Tampines Town Council Chairman Ong Kian Min said cyclists were already on pavements all over Singapore, and the Tampines trial was to make things safer for everyone.
In fact, well-known transport academic Dr Paul Barter even suggested having a "Mr or Ms Bicycle" within the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to co-ordinate policies.
However, all of them agreed that there is a need for three things to happen - education for all, enforcement for the errant few and improved infrastructure.
National Development Minister and MP for Tampines GRC, Mah Bow Tan, said, "One day you may be a cyclist, and (on) another (day), you may be pedestrian, so don't think you are in one camp or the other. We are all cyclists or pedestrians at one time or another, and if we all learn to co-exist, we are actually making life more pleasant for ourselves and our families."
A decision on the issue is expected in the next fortnight, after MPs speak with the Traffic Police and LTA.
Regardless of the final decision, Tampines Town Council will be building at least 2.2 kilometres of new cycle paths at the cost of S$1 million, and it will be ready by the middle of next year.
Tampines GRC is also working with the LTA to not just create more bicycle paths but also widen existing pedestrian footpaths, at the cost of S$3.5 million over the next three to five years. - CNA/ms
