More Convenient Connections to Boost Walk Cycle Ride Vision
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will grace a ceremony on 19 September 2018 to celebrate the milestone completion of 200km of sheltered walkways under the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Walk2Ride programme. An initiative under the Land Transport Master Plan 2013, the Walk2Ride programme has expanded the network of sheltered walkways, allowing more commuters to enjoy convenient connections to our public transport nodes.
2. Where feasible, walkways have been built to schools, healthcare facilities and other public amenities within a 400-metre radius of MRT stations, and within a 200-metre radius of bus interchanges, LRT stations and selected bus stops with high commuter volumes. Throughout the $300 million W2R programme, LTA worked closely with the local community to prioritise the building of sheltered walkways where they are most needed and to improve the walking experience for all commuters.
Designing Walkways with Commuters in Mind
3. To minimise the inconvenience caused to residents during construction and ensure the durability of the sheltered walkway, LTA adopted the following approach:
a) Prefabricating all materials off-site to expedite the installation process;
b) Adopting a single post design where necessary to maximise the width of the walkways for commuters (refer to Annex A)
c) Using a modular design[1] that allows for future alterations to meet changing needs; and
d) Making use of galvanised steel and aluminium honeycomb roof panels, which are durable and cost less to maintain.
4. Prior to the construction of each sheltered walkway, LTA engaged the local community to understand its specific needs and concerns. For instance, in the construction of the sheltered walkway to South View LRT station, LTA converted an unused space outside the LRT station into a three metre-wide path for commuters, which required modifications to the existing landscape as well as the construction of retaining walls (refer to Annex B). LTA also worked with Fajar Secondary School to close a six-metre gap between an existing sheltered walkway and the sheltered school gate. The sheltered walkway, which was completed in May 2018, has benefited residents and students in the area. Refer to Annex C for before/after photographs of the sheltered walkway.
Collaborating with the Community to Overcome Challenges
5. Our densely built-up environment poses a variety of challenges to the construction of sheltered walkways. For instance, as walkway footings are critical in ensuring the structural safety of each sheltered walkway, much time and effort are spent on ground studies to determine the position of each walkway footing. At ground level, there may be tree roots or nearby buildings that make it difficult to identify suitable positions for the walkway footings. Below ground, the presence of utility service pipelines often poses fresh challenges to the project team.
6. Even as we expand our public transport network and new developments emerge, we will continue to provide the same extent of sheltered walkway connectivity between all public transport nodes and developments.
Annex A: Photo of a Single Post Design
Annex B: Before/After Photos of Sheltered Walkway near South View LRT station
Annex C: Before/After Photos of Sheltered Walkway near Fajar Secondary School
[1] This involves standardising the dimensions of roof panels (1.5m wide) and column-to-column spacing (3 metres) for ease of fabrication, installation and possible alterations.
