Enhancements on Road Infrastructure for A Greener and More Inclusive Commuting Experience

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced in March 2022 that it has been working with local communities and various partners to reimagine road infrastructure to better support commuters’ use of Greener transport modes and improve their accessibility to the public transport system.

New Transit Priority Corridors

LTA aims to grow the Transit Priority Corridor (TPC) network by approximately 60 kilometres by 2030. A 2-kilometre stretch of TPC will be constructed along Sin Ming Avenue to connect to the North-South Corridor at Marymount Road and Bright Hill MRT station with a dedicated bus lane, new cycling paths and wider footpaths. When fully completed in 2029, residents in Sin Ming area will have more access options to Bright Hill MRT station, while the nearby recreational spaces and educational institutions will be within convenient reach by public transport and active mobility modes.

Repurposing More Road Space for Walking and Cycling

The pedestrianisation of Woodlands Ring Road (between Woodlands Drive 71 and Drive 63) next to Kampung Admiralty will be completed by the third quarter of 2022. Moreover, after consultation with local stakeholders, LTA will launch a 6-month trial to enhance community spaces and walkability in the Tiong Bahru area from end-March 2022. Under the trial, Seng Poh Road, Eng Hoon Street and Lim Liak Street will be repurposed to create wider footpaths and more green spaces, supported by traffic calming measures to slow down traffic and facilitate safer crossings.

Better Communication Support for Commuters with Hearing Problems

LTA is also working to enhance three navigational and infrastructural elements to better serve all commuters. The first enhancement is a visual communication tool that features pictograms and text for common keywords to better facilitate communication between commuters who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and public transport staff. The tool will be rolled out to all MRT stations and bus interchanges by end-2022.

Passenger Service Centres at all new MRT stations, starting with the Thomson-East Coast Line, will be equipped with Hearing Enhancement Systems (HES) that enable sounds to be transmitted intelligibly to a person wearing hearing aids without the interference of background noise or reverberation. Passenger Service Offices at existing bus interchanges undergoing upgrading works and those built from 2019 onwards will also be equipped with HES.

Supporting Families with Young Children

Secondly, Baby Care Rooms will be provided at all Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line stations, as well as at new bus interchanges to enhance the transport journeys of families travelling with babies and young children.

Expanding Number of Dementia Go-To-Points

LTA also aims to improve infrastructure for and better serve commuters with dementia and their caregivers. It is working with public transport operators to progressively list all public transport nodes as Dementia Go-To-Points (GTPs) by end-2022. Besides serving as resource centres to provide information and useful resources, and link those who need help with the relevant dementia-related services, GTPs also serve as ‘safe return points’ for those living with dementia, as public transport staff at these GTPs are trained to assist in reuniting them with their caregivers. Members of the public can also bring persons with dementia who are lost and need assistance to the GTPs. — Construction+ Online

Sources: Reimagining Road Space for Smoother and Greener Commutes; Navigational and Infrastructure Enhancements for A More Inclusive Commuting Experience