Bid to elevate S’pore Marathon into one of world’s top races will inconvenience public initially: Grace Fu
Bumper-to-bumper traffic along Keppel Viaduct and Keppel Road on Nov 30, 2019 caused by road closures for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.
SINGAPORE — The logistics of elevating the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) into one of the world's premier races will pose public inconvenience initially, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu in the wake of traffic chaos it caused in November last year.
But with the support of Singaporeans and by working closely with event partners, the marathon could become “an event all Singaporeans can be proud of”, she said, in a written response to Parliament on Monday (Jan 6).
Ms Fu also said the Government would work with the organisers to better communicate road closures to the public, and to try to ensure the marathon did not clash with other major events in the area. She noted the Nov 30 event, held in the evening for the first time, clashed with a U2 concert at the Singapore Sports Hub, for example.
“Given the scale of the Singapore Marathon and our ambition for it to be among the World Marathon Majors, we recognise that the logistics will pose inconvenience to stakeholders and members of the public in the initial years, and we will keep aiming to improve how future editions are organised,” she said.
The Abbott World Marathon Majors series of races includes the iconic marathons held in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo.
Ms Fu was addressing several questions about the SCSM from Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Liang Eng Hwa and Tampines GRC MP Desmond Choo.
As the premier running event on Singapore’s calendar, the three-day marathon attracted about 30,000 participants running in the marathon and half-marathon events, as well as more than 70,000 supporters, who viewed the events at designated zones to cheer on the runners.
But last year’s event became controversial due to the severe bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion arising from the road closures, which were given the go-ahead by the authorities.
Ms Lee questioned the minister why the authorities decided to approve the road closures and the diversion plans. Mr Liang asked why the massive jams caused were not anticipated, while Mr Choo wanted to know how the authorities struck the balance between supporting major sporting events and causing inconvenience to road users.
In response, Ms Fu said her ministry and national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) had supported the marathon “as an opportunity to enhance the significance of the event for Singapore from a social, sporting and economic perspective”.
Based on latest available figures, the 2017 edition of the marathon generated S$22.6 million in total economic benefit, with S$7.2 million coming from international visitors.
The bid to include the SCSM in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series of races meant Singapore could showcase its vibrancy and character to the world, said Ms Fu.
“In Singapore, our runners participate in the SCSM to celebrate their resilience and purpose,” said Ms Fu, adding that there is an increasing number of participants who champion worthwhile causes for the disadvantaged.
“We would like to embrace a spirit of care, inclusion and resilience in our society by encouraging more Singaporeans to be a part of this year-end event,” she said.
PREPARATIONS WERE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Ms Fu said SportSG as well as the race organiser Ironman Asia had prepared seriously for the event and recognised that the evening timing would be a “complex and major undertaking”.
To help develop and implement traffic plans, a joint operations committee was formed, comprising the organisers and government agencies, such as the Land Transport Authority and the Traffic Police.
A detailed traffic impact study was also conducted, and additional traffic measures were taken in the light of concurrent events nearby, such as the U2 concert and the Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay, she said.
Since the start of 2019, SportSG and the Singapore Tourism Board had also engaged 150 affected businesses and other stakeholders on the road closures to help them with their preparation for the event, she added. The organiser also ramped up road closure announcements and beefed up its call centre in the weeks leading up to the race.
On race day itself, 500 auxiliary police officers were deployed at “critical road junctions” to redirect motorists and give advice on alternate routes, said Ms Fu.
She said: “The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth takes the public feedback seriously. We will work with the event organiser and relevant agencies to study these points, including suggestions to de-conflict the Singapore Marathon with other major events, and the need to enhance public communications on the road closures.”
