WCP – Walking & Cycling Plan
Walk Cycle SG, WCP and what it means for Developers and Singaporeans
The government’s Walk Cycle SG initiative will have a considerable impact on property developers on the island, and all subsequent developments in Singapore. From July this year all developers will be required by law to submit a detailed Walking and Cycling Plan (WCP) for all future projects. This plan needs to show that they have taken into account the needs of cyclists and pedestrians, in terms of their safety and ease of access.
So what does this actually mean?
Developers will need to consider the routes from the project to the nearest and key transport nodes, as well as to the surrounding areas. They will need to provide provisions for safe pedestrian crossings, cycle crossings, as well as covered walkways and/or link ways.
In addition, they will also need to factor in parking for adequate numbers of bicycles, as well as shower facilities and locker rooms.
From a wider perspective, what else will the initiative hope to achieve?
Changing a nation’s attitudes and attempting to make walking, cycling and public transport a normal part of everyday life is a brave and ambitious plan. It carries on from the initial aims of the 2013 Land Transport Master Plan. This stated that by 2030 8 out of every 10 households would be within a ten minute walk of an MRT station; that 75% of peak hour journeys would be on public transport and that 85% of public transport journeys (under 20km) would take less than an hour.
This plan takes the initiative to lessen people’s reliance on private cars further, and aims to get more and more people to start walking and/or cycling – not just for leisure and recreation, but as a mode of transport. Even if it isn’t for the entire journey, they argue that it should be as easy as possible to cycle or walk at least part of the way. By taking away difficulties and obstacles that currently prevent people from doing that, they hope to encourage more and more people away from their cars, and onto the walkways, cycle paths and as well as the MRT and bus networks.
In order to achieve this, existing cycling paths will be upgraded, and extensive new ones built. These will include the Rail Corridor and the Round Island Route, as well as plans to ensure that cyclists can cycle within their own towns safely and conveniently.
By 2020 the plan is that every one of the 26 HDB towns in Singapore will have a comprehensive intra-town cycling network enabling residents to cycle to and from MRT stations as well as neighbourhood centres.
Pedestrians will benefit from a network of underground, covered or elevated links and walkways that will connect MRT stations with shopping malls, schools and public buildings throughout Singapore.
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