SINGAPORE – The length of the cycling network in Outram will be tripled by 2022. Footpaths will also be widened and roads redesigned, to make walking and cycling safer and more convenient for residents.

These and other details to help Outram go “car-lite” and transform it into Singapore’s second walking and cycling town were revealed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday (Sept 25).

In five years’ time, the cycling network in Outram will be tripled from 6.9km to about 21km, linking up the town’s three MRT stations, homes, schools and other amenities such as food centres and community clubs.

This will put it on a par with test bed Ang Mo Kio, the island’s first walking and cycling town, which itself will have 20km worth of cycling paths by 2020.

The Government announced in March that Outram had been earmarked as the second walking and cycling town.

The LTA said in a press release on Monday that existing cycling paths in Outram will be widened and bicycle crossings will be improved, with more signs and markings.

Besides cyclists, pedestrians will also benefit from the town’s transformation, with wider footpaths and barrier-free ramps.

Roads will be redesigned to include features such as two-stage crossings, so that the elderly can take a breather when they cross.

The measures are expected to further boost the use of bicycles as a commuting option in Outram, which was dubbed Singapore’s first cycling town in 2010, with amended by-laws allowing cyclists to legally share pavements with pedestrians.

The LTA said it is working with the Centre for Liveable Cities and the Outram community to draw up the plans, and will be calling a design consultancy tender subsequently.

Down the road, there are also plans to build trunk cycling routes between Outram and neighbouring towns Pasir Ris and Simei, as well as to the Changi Business Park and the Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre.

For this, the LTA said it is studying the feasibility of constructing a cycling bridge over the Outram Expressway to link up Outram and Pasir Ris, and a cycling underpass to connect Outram to Simei.

The Government’s plan is to construct cycling paths in all 26 Housing Board towns by 2030, contributing to an islandwide network of 700km.

The current network, which includes the park connector network, is now more than 400km.