With two of the four original car lanes repurposed, pedestrians can now enjoy wider walking spaces and a dedicated cycling path. (Artist’s Impression: LTA)
To realise the car-lite vision for the city centre, two of the four lanes for automobiles in Bencoolen Street have been transformed into wider walking spaces for pedestrians and a dedicated cycling path.
“Pedestrians can now enjoy the lush greenery along the open walkway, and take comfortable walks using the sheltered link-ways connecting various transport nodes to nearby developments, such as Manulife Centre and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA),” said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Sunday (28 May).
The URA and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) also teamed up with the students and alumni from NAFA to design and install a series of unique benches along Bencoolen Street.
In addition, over 125 new bicycle parking lots have been set-up at key areas along the road, and the dedicated cycling path will connect to existing and future cycling routes all over Singapore.
For instance, the Bencoolen Street cycling path will run up to Queenstown-City in the west, the North South Corridor to the north and the Central Area cycling network to the south. The last one extends from Marina Bay and offers access to the city-state’s eastern part via the East Coast Park.
Meanwhile, similar enhancement works have been completed at the Civic District this month to make walking, cycling, and riding public transport more pleasant and conducive.
One side of Anderson Bridge has been turned into walking spaces, while pedestrian-friendly public spaces have been created by reclaiming road space at Connaught Drive, Empress Place, Old Parliament Lane and St Andrew’s Road.
Furthermore, Coleman Street, Armenian Street and Waterloo Street will undergo similar transformations over the next few years to make walking and cycling a more enjoyable experience. These works are expected to start next year and will be progressively completed by 2020.
In particular, a portion of Armenian Street will be fully pedestrianised and transformed into an urban park by the National Parks Board. The authorities will also reclaim one vehicular lane in Coleman Street and Waterloo Street to make way for wider sidewalks, while a shared cycling and walking path will be incorporated along Coleman Street and Armenian Street to form part of the upcoming Central Area cycling network.
This article was edited by Denise Djong.
