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Car-free zones in heartlands an idea worth exploring

As we approach the penultimate edition of the Car-Free Sunday SG trial this weekend, it is time to examine the relevance of car-free zones to the greater community.

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Ronald Chan Wai Hong

As we approach the penultimate edition of the Car-Free Sunday SG trial this weekend, it is time to examine the relevance of car-free zones to the greater community.

At the moment, the bulk of our car-free zones is in downtown areas such as Bugis, Little India, Kampong Glam and Circular Road. The car-free zones have increased vibrancy in these places. The next question then is: Could we extend car-free zones to the heartlands?

Car-free zones in suburban areas are not unheard of. In Hong Kong, parts of Sham Shui Po are closed to vehicles every day between noon and 9pm, allowing locals to get their fill of the trendiest clothes and the latest electronics. In North America and Europe, many town centres are closed to traffic for half a day every week or every other week for farmers’ markets that sell fresh produce, handicrafts and street food.

These pedestrianisation initiatives show that car-free zones in suburban areas can foster stronger communities and stimulate local commerce. In contrast, some of our town centres are notoriously unfriendly to pedestrians.

In Yishun, Yishun Avenue 2 cuts between Yishun MRT Station and Northpoint. This forces commuters to take many flights of stairs and escalators or multiple trips in the lift in order to reach the underpass that connects the MRT and the mall. They then have to use another set of stairs, escalators or elevators to enter the mall.

Another example is Waterway Point mall in Punggol. The mall and Punggol bus interchange are located on opposite sides of the Punggol Central thoroughfare, forcing commuters and shoppers to descend one set of stairs and take escalators to get from one place to another via an underpass.

As we move towards a car-lite Singapore, perhaps it is time to ask ourselves: In our neighbourhood centres, should we put cars before people, or people before cars? If the answer is the latter, then we should begin exploring the feasibility of car-free zones in the heartlands, and redesigning our existing infrastructure to enable such goals.

By enhancing accessibility between transportation facilities, retail spaces and shared amenities, we, too, can foster stronger communities and stimulate local commerce.

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