10 areas to become more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly by 2026

About 2km of roads in Holland Village, including Holland Avenue and Holland Drive, will soon be made safer for pedestrians, with the introduction of road humps and a lower speed limit on certain stretches of road.

Holland Village is one of 10 towns that are part of a Land Transport Authority (LTA) initiative to make areas around key neighbourhood amenities more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly, by modifying some roads connected to places such as markets, MRT stations and schools.

Dubbed Friendly Streets, the initiative will also go to Bedok, Buangkok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East, Pek Kio, Punggol, Sembawang and Tiong Bahru.

Works on the Friendly Streets in the 10 neighbourhoods will progressively start in the first half of 2025 and are expected to be completed in 2026, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said at their launch event at One Holland Village on Jan 14.

By 2030, every town in Singapore will have at least one Friendly Street, she added.

 

LTA said on Jan 14 that the locations and features of the Friendly Streets in these neighbourhoods were selected in consultation with residents and stakeholders.

Some features that will be added are more barrier-free crossings, longer green-man signals, and road humps and green road markings, which are meant to encourage drivers to slow down ahead of pedestrian-friendly zones. New road signs will also tell motorists that they are entering a Friendly Street.

Holland Avenue will see a new signalised pedestrian crossing for residents heading to Holland Village and Holland Avenue Hill Park, while another signalised pedestrian crossing in Holland Drive will be relocated to better serve those heading to the Holland Drive Market and Food Centre.

New road humps and wider centre dividers will also be installed in Holland Avenue and Holland Drive to slow down traffic and make it safer for pedestrians, particularly the elderly, to get to the markets, Buona Vista Community Club, and the Holland Village and Buona Vista MRT stations, LTA said.

Mr William Tang and Mrs Lee Tang, who have lived in the neighbourhood for more than 40 years, said it is high time streets in the area were made safer for pedestrians. At the moment, the roads “cater more for cars than pedestrians”, Mrs Tang told The Straits Times.

The couple, who live in Holland Drive, said there is a “speed issue” on that road, and called for more road humps on the stretch between Buona Vista Community Club and Block 18, which houses a multi-storey carpark.

Mrs Tang said road humps would be more helpful than lowering the speed limit, as humps force drivers to slow down, whereas not all will abide by the speed limit.

In Bukit Panjang, the signalised pedestrian crossing between Bukit Panjang Community Club and Pending LRT station will have pedestrian priority, which means a longer green-man signal and shorter waiting times.

These enhancements will complement the nearby Silver Zone in Bukit Panjang Ring Road and make it more convenient for residents to reach Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market, Bangkit LRT station and Zhenghua Nature Park, LTA said.

Over in Pek Kio, a raised, signalised pedestrian crossing will be built on Owen Road to help pedestrians get to Pek Kio Market and Food Centre more safely. The area will also get raised zebra crossings, kerbless crossings and centre dividers, LTA said, without elaborating.

This will benefit existing residents as well as future residents of the upcoming public housing flats in Owen Road, it noted.

The unveiling of the 10 new Friendly Streets locations on Jan 14 follows four successful pilots in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok West, Toa Payoh and West Coast from 2023.

Nine in 10 residents of these neighbourhoods have agreed that their walking and cycling experiences have improved, LTA said.

A fifth pilot, in Tampines, will be completed by March.