Remaking Orchard Rd must go beyond traffic-free plan: Experts
SINGAPORE — Plans to enlarge the space for pedestrians along Singapore’s prime shopping belt have to go hand-in-hand with the Government’s push for a “car-lite” society. Otherwise, they could backfire as roads around the area could become more congested and shoppers could avoid the area, experts cautioned.
SINGAPORE — Plans to enlarge the space for pedestrians along Singapore’s prime shopping belt have to go hand-in-hand with the Government’s push for a “car-lite” society. Otherwise, they could backfire as roads around the area could become more congested and shoppers could avoid the area, experts cautioned.
At the same time, the new spaces have to be used well to draw people to the area, such as having streetside entertainment and al-fresco dining options, the experts suggested.
On Thursday (April 14), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced that it was looking into ways to make Orchard Road more pedestrian-friendly, as part of efforts to breathe new life into it.
Mr Gopinath Menon, a senior research fellow at Nanyang Technological University, noted that the push to make Orchard Road car-free was not a new concept. One way to achieve this is to turn the one-way Orchard Boulevard, which runs parallel to Orchard Road, into a bi-directional road, he suggested.
While pedestrians may have to walk a longer distance to reach bus stops or taxi stands, they could still have a “more pleasant walking experience” along Orchard Road, said Singapore University of Social Sciences’ senior lecturer Park Byung-joon.
Pointing at how pedestrian paths there can get very crowded, Dr Park said that making Orchard Road fully car-free would free up more space for shoppers to walk.
Pedestrian and vehicle movements aside, tourism experts said Orchard Road needs to have unique and fresh offerings to entice visitors, both local and foreign, to keep coming back.
Senior lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic Michael Chiam said that even as a car-free street offers plenty of potential for open-space events, “there needs to be a compelling reason” to go to Orchard Road. Pointing to ideas such as having al-fresco dining in the evening, or streetside entertainment like busking, Dr Chiam said such events need “to be carefully thought through for them to work”.
The authorities need to “draw lessons from the past”, such as Pedestrian Night, which Dr Chiam said drew mixed reviews because of poor programming.
Retailers along Orchard Road had mixed reactions to the news of its possible makeover.
Mr Delvyn Wong, 41, who just opened a second branch of his ice-cream store Eyescream & Friends at Wisma Atria, said he was not worried about a pedestrianised Orchard Road “because not only does (the move) bring vibrancy to the area, it complements businesses”.
Others were cautious about the impact on businesses, having borne the brunt of falling footfall as a result of car-free days at Orchard Road.
A jewellery business owner at Lucky Plaza, Ms Ferlicia Chan, 25, said: “They are already implementing the car-free concept every month, and it affects our walk-in traffic, as people tend to walk outside instead of coming in.”
On the concept of pop-up events along Orchard Road, Ms Shirley Tee, course manager of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, said this would be a chance for retailers or budding entrepreneurs to offer visitors “something that is authentically Singaporean”.
However, she hopes the authorities would let such events “grow organically, and not be too over-regulated”.