Cyclists will be able to travel safely alongside cars from April 22 when the island’s first on-road bicycle lane opens in Changi East.
There will be a 10km-long, dedicated 2m-wide lane for two-wheelers on both sides of the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road.
The bicycle lane, which can fit two cyclists riding abreast, will be demarcated from the vehicular carriageway.
Raised chevron-shaped markings will help alert motorists when they veer into it, and red markings will also alert cyclists to look out for turning vehicles.
The cycling lane will also be diverted behind bus stops to minimise interaction between buses and cyclists.
While on-road cycling lanes were launched on Sentosa last year, this is the first time that they are making a debut on a public road on the mainland.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said new bicycle lanes will provide an alternative for cyclists who frequent the 6km Changi Coast Road, which will close on April 22.
LTA made clear, however, that it does not have plans to build more on-road cycling lanes.
“Given the lack of land in Singapore, LTA will focus on building off-road cycling paths. They are much safer for the majority of cyclists and personal mobility device users,” said a spokesman.
Under the National Cycling Plan, the Government will build 700km of cycling paths by 2030 – in a bid to reduce car usage.
While neighbourhoods such as Tampines have cycling paths, these are separated from the road infrastructure.
Works to extend and widen Tanah Merah Coast Road, which started in 2014, are meant to facilitate construction of a third runway at the airport and Terminal 5.
The road was widened from a dual two-lane road to a three-lane road and extended to hug the eastern coastline and link to Aviation Park Road.
There will be a new park connector running along the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road, linking the one coming from East Coast Park and another one along Aviation Park Road.
adrianl@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on March 28, 2017.
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