LTA introducing 'Friendly Streets' initiative to enhance walking and cycling experience

Those who frequent the Tiong Bahru area over the weekend for their regular fix of hawker food should have noticed a slight change in the layout of roads around Tiong Bahru Market over the past year.

Eng Hoon Street has been pedestrianised, footpaths around the area have been widened, and new drop off points now provide more convenience to visitors of the market. These come under a larger goal of repurposing existing roads to make the Tiong Bahru estate 'friendlier' to cyclists and pedestrians.

Now, with a fresh 'Friendly Streets' initiative set to be rolled out soon, it appears this car-lite vision is set to widen even further. The news was announced by the LTA on 3 March 2023, which has outlined five neighbourhoods preliminarily for the pilot phase of the initiative. These include Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok West, Tampines, Toa Payoh and West Coast.

LTA says that the initiative will be built on other tweaks it has introduced to our roads over the years, including Silver Zones (where speed limits are lowered indirectly by the built environment), School Zones and Transit Priority Corridors.

Another key aspect of the initiative is that it will specifically target streets with high pedestrian flows, such as those near key amenities or vital public transport interchanges. Features that the repurposed sections will boast include widened foot paths, barrier-free crossings that prioritise pedestrians, and 'calmer' vehicular traffic induced by special road markings and treatment.

Specifically, the LTA hopes that the measures will benefit resident groups including seniors, persons with disabilities and families with younger children through offering them more convenience and comfort on their commutes.

The news comes in tandem with new road repurposing projects announced by the LTA for the Choa Chu Kang and Taman Jurong estates.

At Choa Chu Kang Terrace, an 80-metre-long stretch of road between Avenue 1 and Sunshine Place will be pedestrianised in anticipation of increased footfall between Sunshine Place and a future Jurong Region Line station.

Similiarly, an 18-metre-long stretch at Yung Sheng Road will be pedestrianised to improve pedestrian safety between Taman Jurong Shopping Centre and Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre. Residents can additionally look forward to a covered linkway and improved barrier-free access as part of the development.

On that note, road repurposing projects have picked up considerable speed recently within a number of estates.

In the North, the increased pedestrianisation of Woodlands Ring Road next to Kampung Admiralty is set to be completed by end-March, bringing with it more covered linkways and widened footpaths. Cycling paths - to be integrated with the wider town cycling network - are also in the works, en-route to a targeted 2024 completion.

CBD-adjacent Tanjong Pagar has also gotten new cycling paths recently, with improved accessibility around its MRT station coming in the form of a barrier-free crossing at the intersection of Peck Seah and Wallich Streets. Office buildings aside, Tanjong Pagar also hosts a sizable number of HDB buildings.

Finally, to return to Tiong Bahru, the previously trialled pedestrianisation of Eng Hoon Street will soon be literally set in stone, as footpaths along Seng Poh and Lim Liak Street are set to be widened.

In all, the efforts come under the LTA's goal of building a more sustainable and inclusive land transport system. The authority has promised that Friendly Streets will be 'specifically tailored to the needs of the local community' through feedback sought from residents during the pilots.

It is also aiming for all projects under the pilot to materialise by 2025, following which it will explore how 'Friendly Streets' can be expanded to other towns.