green transport week
Following real life story thanks to the courtesy of Mr. Chu Wa, from his blog of 'cycling in Singapore':
Cycle to work in Singapore
I used to cycle a lot when I was working in Holland. However after I moved to
Singapore in 1996, I realized that this city was not really friendly toward
cyclists. I gave up cycling and start driving a car.
Two years ago, I started to experience frequent dizziness after squatting for
just a few minutes or when I walked up stairs quickly. Then, while working on a
research project last year, I was shocked to discover that physical inactivity,
like smoking, is now one of the three main causes of unnatural death[1]. I
learnt that regular moderate exercise is the best solution. So I began to to
look for a form of exercise that I could perform regularly. I tried going to a
gym, but that only lasted for a couple of weeks. I am, like most people, quite
hopeless when it comes to self-motivated exercise!
Reflection
I started to reflect on my experience in Holland. Cycling to work there was a
form of regular exercise that was naturally integrated into my life. It is easy
for the Dutch people to cycle; in fact cycling is often the fastest way to get
around in town! Compared to Singapore, I noticed that in urban area of Holland,
cars are fewer and slower, the air is cleaner, there is much less traffic noise,
and overall it is a peaceful yet vibrant living area. No wonder Dutch are so
healthy, I thought. No wonder the cost of medical insurance could be so low and
their old folks were still pursuing an active life. A pro-bicycle policy has
triggered a positive chain reaction leading to improved public health, a lower
medical burden, better environment and better quality of life for everyone.
However, in Singapore, as soon as I wake up in the morning, I would literally be
sitting through the entire day! When I go to work in the morning, I sit in my car.
When I reach the office, I sit in front of my computer or in a meeting room all
day long. Well, except for lunch break which involves a five minute walk to a
nearby food center. After work, back at home, I sit in my sofa, in front of the
TV, to "relax". Physical activity had been effectively engineered out of my
life!
I started to see a connection between a number of issues in Singapore:
- High population of diabetics, now starting at younger age.
- Increase rate of obesity, also in young children.
- High medical cost, especially for the elderly.
- Stress and air pollution due to increased traffic.
- Faster traffic and lower road safety.
- Cyclists getting killed on the road.
- Parents afraid to allow their children to cycle.
- Streets are not safe for children to play (another reason a maid is needed).
- Hard to motivate kids to exercise.
- An issue of drunk drivers.
- Feeder buses in areas of low density living.
- Insufficient passengers in certain MRT stations to justify it's operation.
From a cyclist's perspective, all of this seems to be connected to the
anti-bicycle environment in Singapore. This is not to suggest that a pro-bicycle
policy will solve all the difficult issues immediately, but certainly, it will
contribute in multiple and connected ways, towards a more positive situation.
The problem of riding a bicycle in Singapore
I wanted to pick up cycling again, for my own benefit and to inspire others.
Cycling from home to work was not an option initially. I was too intimidated by
the dangerous roads. However, cycling to the nearby MRT station was acceptable.
So I rode to the MRT station near my house, locked my bicycle there and took the
MRT to the station near my office. There, I had another bicycle locked and
waiting for me to ride to work!
Unfortunately, both bikes were stolen after a few months!
Inspiration, experiment and innovation
After that painful experience, I read an article on a web page[2], which
illustrated how folding bicycles are used to extend trips by trains in Europe.
It was not only convenient but was also a healthy means of commuting. I was
intrigued and wondered if I could take a folding bike into Singapore's MRT. To
my delight, SMRT do allow folding bikes (when folded) on board the trains!
This can be a wonderful way to travel in Singapore, since it complements our
present MRT system, eliminating the need to wait for a bus or walking a long
distance, and is totally theft proof! I tried a few folding bikes including
famous brands like Brompton[3] and a few Dahon[4]. Now I am using a new JZ88
foldable bike[5]. This bike is apparently designed specifically for Asian living
in a compact urban environment. It is a lightweight, compact folding bicycle; is
quick to fold and can be converted into a shopping trolley.
Initially I had doubts if this tiny bicycle could support my 175cm body height.
However, thanks to its ultra-light structure and responsive ride, I now enjoy
cycling so much that I cycle the entire 8.5km from home to work every morning! I
am, however, extremely careful on the road, and will use the pavement if the
road is too busy. I can bring it into any MRT station wherever I am and need not
worry about bicycle theft again - I bring it into the office and keep it under
my desk.
So who says you can't cycle to work in Singapore?
References
[1] WHO report indicated physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and tobacco use are
the 3 main causes of unnatural death.
Ed's note - The World Health Organisation published the "The World Health Report
2002 - Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life" which included in its
cconclusions that "... in the developed countries of North America, Europe and
the Asian Pacific, at least one-third of all disease burden is attributable to
these five risk factors: tobacco, alcohol, blood pressure, cholesterol and
obesity. The tobacco epidemic alone kills about 2.4 million people every year in
industrialized countries. In addition, suboptimal levels of blood pressure and
cholesterol each cause millions of deaths annually, and increasing levels of
overweight are leading to epidemics of obesity and diabetes."
[2] Folding Bikes: Real Utility Vehicles / By Jack Oortwijn & Otto Beaujon
http://www.foldabikes.com/Talk/Docs/art2.html
[3] Brompton folding bicycle home page
http://www.bromptonbicycle.co.uk/
[4] Dahon folding bike home page
http://www.dahon.com/
[5] JZ88 folding bike home page http://www.jz88.com/
