OPEN TRANSIT: AN INTERCHANGE FOR PERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICES

Abstract

With a rapidly growing population in cities, the need for sustainable transportation becomes more complex and urgent. Today, mobility means congestion, stress, delays and can even be unhealthy and unsafe. Hence to tackle the social, economic and environmental challenges of mobility, the existing infrastructure needs to be upgraded to enable the integration of many different modes of mobilty. Singapore today is facing a surge in PMD usage. With more commuters opting to ride their PMDs for first-and-last mile connectivity, it puts a variety of road users into the existing traffic network which is designed primarily for vehicles. And it is no surprise that the government has started rolling out safety programs and trainings and even possibly licensing for these PMD users. This hence necessitates an ecosystem of services which supports this changing lifestyle. This thesis proposes a 3-pronged strategy of, (a) establishing a network to create island-wide connectivity for PMDs; (b) a system of nodes providing urban services for PMDs; and (c) a PMD interchange integrating with the existing rail system. Eventually the project goes on to designing a PMD interchange to bridge the gap between PMD and public transport - making transit safe and convenient - by encouraging active and sustainable mobility options; fostering entrepreneurial spirit; and inspiring a new form of interchange that integrates PMD and rail transit.