Car-Free Sunday SG will be back again this Sunday, 26 March, offering a variety of family-friendly and active mobility activities to get your morning off to a good start!
The second run of Car-Free Sunday SG that started in October 2016 has seen the car-free route extending into the Telok Ayer conservation area to provide a better experience for participants. Since then, the area has been revitalised as new activities continue to draw people to rediscover the heritage district.
This Sunday, the public can bring their own mats to picnic at Telok Ayer Square while enjoying a Breakfast Concert. The concert will feature live band ‘Luke and the Dukes’ playing three 15-minute jazz sets at 9am, 10am and 11am, as well as a skit ‘Ah Ma’s Fruit Stall’ by PLAYInc at 10.15am to raise awareness about dementia.
At the picnic area, participants can also experience “cycling” along streets of the future in Tiong Bahru through virtual reality goggles. An exhibition by the Future Cities Laboratory, the immersive 360-degree experience will provide insights on the impact of street design on commuting experience.
Participants can also catch artist Yip Yew Chong in action as he paints the mural on the back wall of Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer Street. Commissioned by Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, the 40-metre mural depicts the voyage of early Hokkien immigrants, their early lives and struggles in Telok Ayer and Amoy Street, as well as their contributions towards Singapore’s nation building. The mural will be officially launched on 13 April to kick off the Singapore Hokkien Festival 2017.
Early birds can also enjoy breakfast in cafés that will be opening earlier from 8am, participate in the regular guided tours around Telok Ayer, and relish the musical performances by buskers.
Over at the Civic District, the public can look forward to participate in popular active mobility activities for free – including free trishaw and bicycle rides – among a host of community activities available.
Bike share companies such as Mobike, oBike and OFO Bicycle will offer free bicycle rentals to Car-Free Sunday SG participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Each company will offer 10 to 15 free bicycle rentals to the public in 30-minute blocks.
The public can also continue to enjoy free trishaws rides, initiated to enable those who are less mobile, particularly the elderly, to experience and take in the sights of our car-free Civic District. Nine trishaws will be on the road with volunteers from cycling group Team Specialized Mavericks and members of the public offering rides. Participants can also choose to operate the trishaw personally to ferry their elderly family members or friends.
Participants can register for the trishaw service between 8am and 11am on Sunday at the trishaw booth in front of National Gallery Singapore, along St Andrew’s Road. Each registration is for a 15-minute block around the Civic District Loop, and on a first-come, first-served basis.
The bike train will also be returning to Car-Free Sunday SG for the young and old to travel around the car-free route together. Comprising multiple bicycles connected in a train-like trail, the bike train was first conceptualised and made by a Bishan resident for his fellow residents to cycle around the neighbourhood together.
Car-Free Sunday SG participants can join the bike train cycling tour at 30-minute intervals at the starting point along St Andrew’s Road in front of National Gallery Singapore. Children and the elderly will be given priority.
The “Personal Mobility Roadshow” will be back after a successful debut at last month’s Car-Free Sunday SG. The public can test and purchase a variety of bicycles and personal mobility devices from multiple vendors such as EcoRider, Fazzbike360 and Hello, Bicycle!, which will be located along St Andrew’s Road in a mini carnival.
The Share the Road Cycling Carnival, organised by Singapore Cycling Federation and Cycosports, will be back with the criterium races at Cecil Street and Robinson Road for a third edition. In line with the carnival’s aim to highlight the diversity of cycling disciplines and promote cycling as an inclusive sporting and recreational activity, Singapore Paracyclists will be running their National Championships on the car-free roads with international participants from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Two races of 40 minutes each – Hand Cycling for the Disabled and Paracycling – will be held from 6am to 7.30am. Members of the public are welcome to join in as spectators of the criterium races before participating in the community ride from the Central Business District (CBD) back to the Civic District at 7.30am for the official Car-Free Sunday SG flag off in front of the National Gallery Singapore at 8am.
In support of World Kidney Day this month, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) will be holding a Kidney Care Parade as a fringe activity at the upcoming Car-Free Sunday SG to encourage the community to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle through physical activity to reduce obesity and risk for kidney disease. Starting with the 8am flag-off in front of National Gallery Singapore, NKF Patient Advocates will lead hundreds of NKF volunteers, staff and patients on a 1.5km walk around the Civic District Loop. Members of the public can participate in the parade for free by registering at https://friends.nkfs.org/KidneyCareParade2017/ or join in at Car-Free Sunday SG.
Refer to Annex A [PDF, 322kb] for more details on the activities.
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Get updates on Car-Free Sunday SG activities and details at https://www.facebook.com/carfreesundaysg/.
Since last month, the road closures within the CBD and Telok Ayer Loops have been extended by an hour to noon. Together with the Civic District Loop, the full 5.5km route will remain car-free from 8am to noon, giving participants more flexibility to enjoy the activities over a longer duration.
See table below for extended of road closure hours and Annex B [PDF, 298kb] for the road closure map:
Members of the public are encouraged to take public transport or cycle to the event venue. Refer to Annex C [PDF, 1.5MB] for cycling access points to the Padang.
Participants can also rent a bicycle from Car-Free Sunday SG’s partner bicycle rental companies before the event, and collect the bicycle at Connaught Drive on the event day.
Car-Free Sunday SG is a community initiative by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Land Transport Authority (LTA), National Parks Board (NParks), National Arts Council (NAC), Health Promotion Board (HPB), Sport Singapore (SportSG) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA), supported by a host of community and interest groups to promote the car-lite message and enliven the streets.
Visit http://ura.sg/carfreesundaysg to find out more about the event.
#CarFreeSundaySG