I filed this cut for MND but it was directed to MOT.
The vision of a "Car-Lite" Singapore must require a seamless and sheltered first-and-last-mile experience for every Singaporean. The government has made meaningful progress but more can be done.
In July 2025, 176 residents at Parc Vera Condominium at Hougang Street 32 submitted a petition for a 80m covered walkway linking its rear side gate to an existing HDB covered linkway. The rear side gate links to an open footpath which doubles as a covered drain, and is heavily used by residents, as it connects to the HDB covered linkway en route to the nearest bus stop at Block 1 Hougang Avenue 3, a few minutes’ walk away. For the elderly and families with young children, this path is the most efficient way yet poses challenges to them during heavy rain.
I wrote an appeal on the Condo’s behalf to LTA.
Attempts to request to construct the covered walkway has been challenging. While the land is under PUB, they do not build covered walkways. The LTA do not entertain requests for its last mile covered connectivity plans if they fall outside 800m of a MRT station or 400m of a bus interchange and not along a LTA managed road. Lastly, the Town Council has no jurisdiction to spend funds on projects that do not primarily benefit HDB residents.
The request has been assessed primarily through agency boundaries rather than commuter experience. This is a systemic "no man's land" problem. Why should a resident’s ability to reach public transport under cover depend on whether the ground or the drain beneath their feet is managed by HDB, LTA, or PUB? If the goal is to encourage public transport usage and climate proof our infrastructure, the "last mile" should be treated as a single, continuous journey.
To resolve such situations, I have three specific proposals:
First, can we institutionalize Connectivity at the design stage? When the Riverfront Residences condo at Hougang was built, authorities allowed the developer to build covered linkways to the nearest bus stops. This can be made a standard requirement, where covered links are planned upfront, and not added later as fixes. Can URA and LTA mandate at the Planning Permission stage that developers provide sheltered connectivity to the nearest public transport nodes including such covered access from each condo’s side gates, or include this in the Development Control handbooks to guide developers on ensuring upfront connectivity by design?
Second, for existing condos like Parc Vera, can we start working on a "Bridge-the-Gap" Framework with a coordinated co-funding or facilitation scheme?
Third, can the government assign a "Lead Agency" for Connectivity? If an MCST is willing to pursue a walkway that serves a clear public connectivity purpose, the government should provide a streamlined "one-stop shop" by an appointed agency; this can be under LTA, URA or BCA.
