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SINGAPORE : There will be a six-month trial from the middle of this month to allow cyclists to carry their foldable bicycles on board trains and buses.
In addition, to make it more convenient for cyclists to use public transport, there will also be better bicycle parking facilities at MRT stations and bus interchanges in housing estates.
Announcing the good news for cyclists in Parliament on Thursday, Minister of State for Transport Lim Hwee Hua said the government recognised that cycling provides an additional if not alternative mode of transport.
This is especially for intra-town travel and to key transport nodes, like the MRT stations and the bus interchanges.
So as part of plans to promote greater use of public transport, a one-year pilot will also be carried out next year at MRT stations and bus interchanges in Pasir Ris, Tampines and Yishun.
Mrs Lim said this would allow the Land Transport Authority to gather feedback so as to better understand the usage patterns and needs of the cyclists before extending the facilities to all other MRT stations and bus interchanges.
However, she drew the line at providing dedicated cycling lanes.
Mrs Lim explained, "Given our land constraints, it is not feasible to provide a comprehensive set of dedicated cycling tracks or cycle lanes island-wide. We have to ask ourselves if this is the best way to make full use of our...very limited space.
"The issue is not whether cyclists have a place in our public transport system, but how do we allocate space amongst competing users that will best make use of our very limited land."
The issue of better facilities for cyclists was brought up by MP Irene Ng of Tampines GRC as well as Mr Teo Ser Luck, the Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports. - CNA/ms
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