Over the years, the Government has progressively transformed our land transport sector to better serve Singaporeans.
In the recent Committee of Supply (COS) Debate, we have outlined some of the long-term plans such as expanding our rail network and cycling lane infrastructure.
The Government will be investing more than $60 billion over the next decade to expand and renew the rail network. By 2030, around 80 per cent of Singaporeans will live within walking distance of a train station.
As part of the effort to bring cycling paths closer to your doorsteps, we will also be spending $1 billion on the Islandwide Cycling Network (ICN) programme to accelerate the development of cycling paths.
The cycling path network will be almost doubled to 800km by 2023 – two years ahead of schedule. By then, all Housing Board towns will have cycling paths.
The network will grow further to 1,000km by 2026 – eight in 10 HDB residents will live about 250m away from the nearest cycling path. By 2030, the network would have tripled to 1,320km.
These plans will add greater connectivity to our transport system and benefit more commuters. Like what Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said, these are also strategic moves to achieve our vision to build a clean and green transport system for Singapore to raise the quality of life for generations of Singaporeans to come.
In whatever we do, we always have Singaporeans in mind.
This is why the Government banned electric scooters from footpaths last November. Singaporeans’ safety is our number one priority. I am happy to note that the number of e-scooters accidents on footpaths has fallen drastically by 95 per cent since strict enforcement began on 1 January 2020, as compared to the period before the implementation of the e-scooter footpath ban.
As for the Transition Assistance Package targeted at food delivery riders, 3,770 eligible riders expressed interest in the programme. As of 9 March 2020, over 34.5 per cent has successfully converted to a new device with the $600 to $1,000 e-scooter Trade-in Grant.
For the rest of the active mobility device users, they can look forward to a safer and more seamless riding experience, with fewer interruptions by 2023.
In the Land Transport Master Plan 2040, one of the Government’s goals is to create a well-connected transport system such that we can achieve 90 per cent peak period Walk-Cycle-Ride mode share by 2040, up from 72 per cent in 2019.
With the announcements in the recent COS, we are indeed working towards this goal. But we cannot do it alone. We will work together with Singaporeans, as One Singapore, to develop our public transport to be among the best in the world.
Dr Lam Pin Min
People’s Action Party
13 March 2020
Image: Dr Lam Pin Min’s Facebook