Rail Corridor as cycling track, suggests PM Lee

Lester Hio AsiaOne 18 Jun 15;

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong suggested this as a use for the Rail Corridor yesterday in a Facebook post after a cycling trip in Kushiro, Japan.

After riding along a disused railroad track while on leave in Hokkaido, he concluded: "One possibility for our Rail Corridor."

The 24km former KTM railway line here, which stretches between Woodlands and Tanjong Pagar, closed in 2011 and the leafy route has since been used by walkers, runners and cyclists.

Some local cyclists yesterday welcomed the idea of a dedicated track.

"A paved track has a practical purpose - it'll be a shortcut for those in the north or west who might want to cycle into the city," said Calvin Chin, 41, president of the Mountain Bike Association Singapore.

"My request is that a part of it is left unpaved, so those who want to ride on raw, natural terrain can continue to do so."

Woon Taiwoon, co-founder of cycling group LoveCyclingSg, hopes that the land will retain its historical significance.

"I hope it won't become just another part of the PCN (park connector network)," said the 40-year-old designer. "There is a cultural history that should be preserved. Don't clean it up too much, let it keep its character. Let it be open to everyone and have paths for the elderly and children."

Other cyclists agreed that the corridor should not be limited solely to biking use as it is a unique landmark in Singapore.

Retiree Joyce Leong, 59, founder of cycling club Joyriders, asked: "What about runners? They would also like to have a place to run. A shared trail will be great for recreational cyclists, with clear dividing lines for pedestrians and cyclists."

Using the land for cycling and other recreational purposes is one of the main development goals of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

In March, the agency launched a request for proposals to develop the land into a continuous green stretch.

One of its planning and design goals is that it should be "for pedestrians and cyclists to use and enjoy".

The corridor should also "provide opportunities for walking, jogging and cycling as a form of recreation and for commuting".

Five teams made up of local and international architects were shortlisted last month to design a masterplan for the corridor.

These will be on display in a public exhibition in October and November.

Cycling through the Rail Corridor
Strait Times 27 Jun 15;

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong's suggestion to use the Rail Corridor as a cycling track shows how far Singapore has travelled from the days when national progress was measured stringently by the utilitarian use of scarce land.

Of course, even in the early years of independence, land was set aside by design for green breathing spaces that would prevent an urban jungle from swallowing the rural topography of a tropical island-state.

However, there were episodic skirmishes between conservationists who were ecologically ahead of their times and economic realists who were worried that Singapore would fall behind.

In that competition, Singapore veered towards using economically promising space largely for developmental use. Economic growth trumped esoteric pleasures in the competition for resources when national survival was at stake.

It had to be so. Development might not have come about otherwise.

What has changed now is not the imperative of thinking economically but of examining how far social goods such as leisure could be factored into national calculations.

The Rail Corridor, a 24km former KTM railway line stretching between Woodlands and Tanjong Pagar, has been used since the end of train operations as a leafy route by walkers, runners and cyclists.

Parts of the corridor occupy prime land, which would result in the replenishment of state coffers if opened up for bids by commercial developers.

It is not as if Singapore disdains the extra money. Instead, what is important is the desirability of exploring an alternative option: that of turning the corridor into a cycling track which can provide an arena for relaxation, exercise, family-bonding and attachment to the environment.

It is interesting that Mr Lee was moved to suggest this option after a cycling trip on a disused railroad track in Japan. That country rose from an era of war and consequent poverty when the importance of land was invested in its financial value.

It became an economically viable country that could afford to create social space anew for the environmental expectations and tastes of its citizens. Importing the Japanese ability to view the environment in new ways would help Singapore chart its own way forward.

The recreational use of land, manifest in the idea of a cycling corridor, is a sign that a maturing economy can accommodate the second-order aspirations of citizens, those that arise after the basic demands for food, clothing and shelter have been met.

In that spirit, the cycling track could be treated as a part of Singapore's cultural heritage. Using it would be a reminder to Singaporeans, particularly the young, that Singapore as a home transcends economic imperatives, although these will continue to lie at the heart of its choices.