My route starts on the road, past the junction where I was hit by a car, WHILST NOT MOVING! Then on through Tanjong Rhu and the Gardens by the Bay via the Marina Barrage to the CBD (and most importantly, a shower!)
I'm lucky that my route is mainly off road. Watching the traffic along Nicoll Highway from my bus really scares me. Those cyclists who do use it as a route must be so brave!
It's sad to see that cycling is just seen as a menace in Singapore. For a country that claims to be a beacon of sustainability, I was really surprised to find this out. If somewhere as congested as London or as hilly as Bristol can embrace the bike, then surely flat Singapore with its wide roads can find rooms for bikes. What Singapore really needs is the Government to see cycling as a viable form of transport and integrate it into its policies. For instance, I went to the LTA Gallery and there were only two mentions of cycling, this photo below plus an old trishaw. There was no mention of integrating cycling into the future infrastructure. In fact, the future is filled with two storey roads. Ick!
But have no fear, there is a ground swell of support for cycling, as can be seen by the comments following this letter in Today. Here are a few blogs about cycling in Singapore that demonstrate this support:
Cycling in Singapore
Love Cycling in Singapore
JZ88 folding bikes blog
Singapore Cycling Forums
Small Wheel Big Smile
And if you're interested in how thing's are going in the UK (the debate still rages there too, despite good progress), here's a couple more good sources:
Sustrans - a charity campaigning for more sustainable forms of transport and who have set up the National Cycle Network - like bicycle motorways cris crossing the whole of the UK. They've got great maps too.
Guardian Bike Blog - weekly blog about cycling, both for commuting and for sport.
Don't forget bike hour this equinox - 22.09.12 at 6pm. Find the Bike Hour facebook page for more details or see this site.
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