Wednesday 31 October 2012

More bicycle racks at 10 MRT stations

By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 30 Oct 2012

COMMUTERS who pedal to 10 MRT stations will have an easier time finding a space to park their bicycles.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has installed 1,500 bicycle racks at these stations: Admiralty, Aljunied, Boon Lay, Chinese Garden, Khatib, Lakeside, Sembawang, Sengkang, Simei and Yishun. These cost $740,000.

By next year, it will add 900 racks at 10 more stations, including Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands for $670,000.

More stations will have them if there is a need, it added yesterday.

These new racks come under a programme to increase bicycle parking facilities at MRT stations.

The LTA said the latest racks allow cyclists to lock their bicycles more securely. The parking areas are also adequately lit for added security.

Racks at eight of the 10 stations are double-tiered.

Speaking after a visit to Sembawang station, Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said the new racks should reduce the number of illegally parked bicycles around Sembawang station.

It now has 622 bicycle parking spaces, up from 418. Engineering assistant Jack Sun, 41, used to park his bicycle at the covered walkways next to the station. Now, it is easier to find an empty rack at the station, he said.

Florist Chong Fei Ping, 25, however, noted that it was difficult to lift her bicycle onto the double-tiered racks. She said: "More people prefer to use the bottom racks. Sometimes I wait five minutes for a space."

The LTA is also building 16km of cycling paths at Marina Bay and another 50km in seven HDB towns.



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