By reducing car use, improving and encouraging public transport, Singapore hopes to not only achieve a more sustainable mobility system that can support growth and development needs, but also create a more liveable city that has more space for people — pedestrians and cyclists alike—to enjoy.
Background
Singapore is known for its policies supporting public transport and congestion tax, and as a city state that pays significant attention to sustainability. Singapore’s Land Transport Master Plan (launched in 2008 and updated in 2013) is a ‘people-centered’ plan that aims to achieve efficiency through multi modal integration. The focus is very much on public transport but does also cover walking and cycling.
Challenges
The transport system in Singapore prior to the 1960s was highly disorganized and inefficient. About 90% of the people in Singapore depended on public transport in the mid1950s. The bus system was run by private operators and it was prone to frequent bus strikes, in addition to poor service quality. There was also serious traffic congestion in the city center. The current mobility challenges however include a growing population and economy with limited land, persistent high car usage compared to other cities and challenges in changing people’s mindsets and habits to be less reliant on cars because driving is currently the fastest and most convenient travel option for most trips.
Successes
The current “Car-lite Singapore” vision gave a greater impetus for the paradigm shift in urban development from cars to people that was initiated in the Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2013, through promoting and developing other modes of transport, making them more convenient.
Singapore’s Land Transport Master Plan 2040 (LTMP 2040) aims to:
- A transport network that is convenient, well-connected and fast;
- A transport ecosystem characterized by gracious behavior and inclusive infrastructure; and
- A transport environment that supports healthy lives and enables safer journeys.
To enhance pedestrian safety, Singapore has implemented pedestrian crossing lines with enhanced dash markings, traffic calming markings and ‘pedestrian crossing ahead’ road markings. The City has installed road studs that flash in tandem with the green crossings to alert motorists to stop for pedestrians on the road.
Since the development of the Land Transport Master Plan, Singapore has started working towards becoming a bike-friendly city; the initiative started with construction of 1 500 bike parking facilities in the Mass Rapid Transit stations. This led to provision of signalized bike crossing facilities in many junctions. The main objective was to promote bicycles as an access mode to public transport. The Park Connector network promotes corridors and legalized the sharing of footpaths between pedestrians and cyclists.
This initiative has led to development of a National Cycling Plan. Under this plan, the first strategic step is to provide off-road dedicated cycle lanes, to facilitate cycling between towns and to connect major transport notes.
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