A USER-CENTRIC EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL CYCLING PLAN

Abstract

A brief study of Singapore’s transport system reveals the need to develop viable transportation alternatives to cater to different expectations of travel and to increase the overall resilience of our transport network. Following the example of cities like Copenhagen, Beijing and London, Singapore has started to explore the possibility of a cycle network. This is manifest in the National Cycling Plan which details the provision of cycling infrastructure due to be complete by 2030. The cycle network is a system of routes and facilities designed to meet the needs of cyclists. This is an important consideration as the cyclist population is heterogeneous and different cyclists will have varying concerns. This paper considers the National Cycling Plan as a cycle network and seeks to examine it from the perspective of cyclists. This will be achieved through the study of cycle indexes, planning guides and case studies to determine the priority concerns of various cyclist users. The National Cycling Plan will then be analysed to see if it fulfills the design requirements of a cycle network for each respective type of cyclist group. In doing so, this research hopes to contribute to the review process of the National Cycling Plan and demonstrate the value of a user needs assessment of cycle networks.