Cycling, walking trails on Sentosa revamped

Danson Cheong, The Straits Times AsiaOne 13 Dec 16;

Cycling network now about 12km long, while six routes for pedestrians cover about 7.5km

More than 8,000 cyclists have been tracked using Sentosa's on-road cycling lanes since April, the resort island told The Straits Times recently.

The Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) started building a network of on-road bicycle lanes - the first of its kind in Singapore - last year.

Yesterday, it announced the launch of its revamped walking and cycling trails.

The island's cycling network has been boosted by the 4.5km-long on-road stretch and now stretches about 12km.

The cycling trails start at the Sentosa Boardwalk beside VivoCity. To avoid road traffic before the island's entrance, cyclists use a dedicated track beside the boardwalk, and then ride through an underpass.

The underpass was closed in 2007 when construction for the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort began, and re-opened in June this year to give cyclists access to the island.

Cyclists pay $2 to enter the island.

The island's six walking trails, which cover about 7.5km, also connect the island with the Southern Ridges on mainland Singapore, the SDC in its statement.

The island is waiving admission fees for pedestrians who access the island via the boardwalk until the end of next year.

The SDC said its walking and cycling network "strengthens connectivity" and complements existing on-island transportation such as the monorail, buses, beach trams and cable car.

"With the seamless link to the Singapore mainland via the Sentosa Gateway and enhanced connectivity on the island provided by our network of cycling tracks and walking trails, guests now enjoy easy access to the island's pristine and quiet natural environment," said SDC assistant chief executive Jacqueline Tan.

Cyclist Dennis Cheong, 47, visited the island last week and said the new cycling trails are "a lot safer" than trying to enter Sentosa from the main road.

Mr Cheong, a researcher, said he is hoping the Sentosa Express monorail will allow foldable bikes on board.

"They should allow foldable bikes since they already allow strollers, if its raining, cyclists might have to take the monorail out," he said.

SDC said it does not encourage taking foldable bikes on the monorail trains for safety reasons, as the train carriages are smaller than those on the MRT.

Mr Francis Chu, co-founder of cycling group Love Cycling SG, said Sentosa could be a test-bed for whether on-road cycling lanes could be replicated elsewhere on the mainland.

"We should learn and observe how Sentosa is doing and maybe experiment in (cycling towns such as) Pasir Ris and Bedok," he said.