Car-free Sundays to resume in October, could cover wider area
Big turn-out for morning exercises on Car-Free Sunday. Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY
SINGAPORE — Following “tremendous success” in its pilot run, Car-free Sundays in the city centre will resume in October, possibly covering a larger area.
The extension of the scheme, which closes off around 5km of roads in the CBD and Civic District to vehicles every last Sunday of the month since February, was announced by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong on Sunday (June 26), as he flagged the possibility of iterations of the scheme in the heartlands.
The pilot was to end next month, but Mr Wong told reporters at the sidelines of the fifth edition of the event yesterday that given how popular the monthly affair has been, the Government has decided to extend its run, after a break in August and September so as to refine plans further.
“We will see how we can expand the car-free zone, so that there will be a bigger area for people to walk, cycle and to move around in their personal mobility device,” said Mr Wong.
While the car-free zone will continue to be in the Civic District area, the authorities “may vary the routes from time to time”, he added. The extension could be for six months or more, depending on whether interest levels keep up, he said.
If community groups or organisations would like to take this idea to other places, the option is open too, said Mr Wong.
“We can extend beyond Car-free Sunday in the Civic District to Car-free Sunday — and maybe other days — in our HDB heartlands as well,” he added, even though he pointed out that holding the event in the city centre makes it easy to attract people.
Cyclist Ronnie Hiang, who has attended every Car-Free Sunday event, said he hopes it will become a permanent feature, noting that other places, such as Bundung in Indonesia, have similar events.
“I join the event every month since it started to show my support for the event,” said the 61-year-old retail manager, who felt that having finge activities such as a breakfast bar can help draw in the crowds.
Asked how the event contributes to a car-lite Singapore, Mr Wong said it is “not just about using cars less” but also making public spaces pedestrian-friendly and vibrant.
Sunday’s fifth run of the event included group-up initiatives such as a pop-up installation of painted pianos and #SGEatWithUS — a local movement to encourage togetherness through the sharing of home-cooked dishes in the community.
“These are all ground-up groups which have come forward under Our Favourite Place programme by URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) and we have curated and brought them together,” said Mr Wong.
Other activities for the event yesterday included activities such as a breakfast concert by the Philharmonic Winds at Empress Lawn.
