Car-free Sunday mornings on parts of Civic District and CBD starting next year

This pilot program will last 6 months, on which URA has identified several roads that will be closed from 7am to 9am on the last Sunday of every month. This includes the entire area around Padang and partial sections of Fullerton Road, Shenton Way and Robinson Road that will be formed into a 4.7km-long cycling and walking route, according to a public tender put up by the URA.

Parts of Connaught Drive and St Andrew's Road around the Padang will remain closed till noon.

Community and mass exercise activities will be put up and organized at Esplanade Park and Empress Lawn with the help of National Parks Board, Health Promotion Board and SportSG during "Car-free Sunday".

URA is also inviting local and international event management companies to plan, organise and bid to run the events. The tender will close on January 11, 2016.

This initiative is a step towards a car-lite Singapore and aims to "promote active lifestyle and enhance livability in the city", said by a URA spokesman. "It is a way to reclaim the roads for cycling, jogging and walking, and make the city a more people-friendly and enjoyable place," the spokesman added.

"The roads in the Civic District and CBD are chosen because there are many points of interest along the way such as historic landmarks, and these roads are under-utilized on Sunday mornings."

This concept of car-lite Singapore was also mentioned by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong when he opened the new Downtime Line 2 last Saturday (December 26).

There are currently 10 car-free zones designated by URA which come into effect on certain days and at specific timings.

This includes, a section of Orchard Road that is closed on the first Saturday of every month between 6pm and 11pm - for Pedestrian Night. Club Street and Ann Siang Road are also closed to vehicle traffic on Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm to 2am. Parts of the Kampong Glam area, such as Haji Lane and Bussorah Street, will be turned into pedestrian-only roads every Friday (6pm-midnight) and on weekends (noon-midnight).

Liang Seah Street in Bugis was the latest zone to go car-free (Fridays to Sundays, 7 pm-midnight) in a three-month pilot that began on Dec 4, while an 11th - nearby Baghdad Street - will follow suit starting January 1, 2016.

URA said the time was ripe for a car-free initiative in the Padang area due to the completion of the first phase of enhancement works in the Civic District, which aimed to create a greener, safer and more walkable park setting.

The enhancement work included the pedestrianizing roads to connect spaces around Padang, also linking up landmarks such as the Asian Gallery Singapore and Esplanade Park forming an integrated arts, culture and lifestyle precinct.

URA will review its "Car-Free Sunday" initiative after six months to decide if roads in certain areas can be closed on a regular basis on weekends to allow sports and community activities.

"At this stage, we are not thinking of permanent road closure." URA spokesman stated.

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