They're ambitious here. When they say they have a plan to be car light, they actually take action to make it happen. By 2020 they plan to have 225 miles of dedicated lanes for biking, walking or running. By 2030, the target is 435 miles. They call it the Park Connector Network ("PCN") and the idea is to connect every park and green space in the country with these dedicated paths. When I lived here a few years back they'd begun work on it but it wasn't very impressive. I didn't have a bike at the time so I tried it out on foot and jokingly dubbed it the "stair connector network." Every path invariably led to a staircase to traverse the highways or canals. I didn't think very much of it. A lot has changed.
I'm always amazed how fast they build things here. The PCN now goes right behind my house, next to a canal which is much more beautiful that it used to be.
I know I'm biased but I feel this is one of the prettiest stretches of the PCN. It's quiet and shaded. A group of bird photographers are always camped out in the early morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the two eagles who live in the large trees that line the canal. Heading south, you ultimately reach downtown, which is 5 miles away. However, there is still a bit of construction being done so it's not quite ready for prime time. Heading north, you reach the nearest big park named Bishan in a few miles. The path now goes under the highway and over a busy road by ramp, you no longer have to lug your bike up and over the stairs.
Bishan is an impressive park. It's bisected by the Kallang river which starts at a large reservoir in the central highlands and runs through this park, past my house and into the ocean near downtown. It has become a much more popular park and I think it's directly attributable to the PCN and the rental bikes. People walk, jog, take their dog to the dog park, do yoga, tai chi or eat at the McDonalds in the center of the park. I've even seen a group of kids playing ultimate frisbee, rows of rental bikes parked at the edge of the field.
If you keep going, you exit the park on its western edge and follow a quiet road towards the central reservoirs. Dodo and I have made this trip, parked our bikes and taken hikes in the woods. We've also ridden up the hill towards a popular breakfast spot. Most memorable was a trip I took around the reservoir itself. I was on a rental bike and a fellow sped by me on a mountain bike. Of course, I chased. When he took a left turn down a hilly road, I followed, figuring he knew where he was going. After a mile or so, we crested a hill and I saw what looked to be debris scattered across the road. The mountain biker didn't slow, which I found odd. It wasn't until he was in the middle of it that I realized we were crossing through a troop of monkeys, numbering 50 to 60. He hugged the left side of the road, sending some scared baby monkeys running. The alpha males were not too happy about this and they galloped from the other side of the road after him, teeth bared. The mountain biker screeched in fear and pedaled like crazy. I was already in too deep to turn back. I held my breath and pedaled as hard as I could. The alphas, once they knew they couldn't catch him, turned and made a head first run at me. I managed to swing to the other side of the road and just made it past them. It was the biggest surge of adrenaline I've ever felt up until the point that I learned our road was a dead end and I'd have to go through that monkey troop on the way back.
It would have been much nicer to simply stop at Casuarina Curry for breakfast, southern indian style. Once my bike arrived in Singapore, I started riding every day. I've stopped here for prata on a few occasions. On the weekends, half the people eating here are serious cyclists, probably eating a post ride meal.
A lot of the PCN is built along the canals, some of which only fill with water after a rainstorm. It's interesting to see how they've linked all the parks.
At times, you're all alone on a dedicated path.
Other times, you share a widened sidewalk with regular folk.
Truth be told, not all of the PCN sections are created equally. But I think over time they'll even out.
The place where it's best is in the Punggol neighborhood. Punggol is in the north of the country and has always been seen as a backwater. There has been a big expansion of the neighborhood in the last five years and the best part about that is they built the PCN into it from the start. There is a PCN that runs around the edge of the neighborhood which is bordered on three sides by water. There is also a PCN that runs along the canal that bisects the neighborhood east to west. It's absolutely beautiful and there is no way to drive a car along this canal. Matter of fact, it's dead quiet here save for the birds.
There are many bridges for walking and biking only. This one leads to a wetlands park. I've ridden here many times and I find myself wishing that the rest of Singapore looked and felt like this. I am looking forward to the hundreds of miles being added over the next few decades.
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