The Transition towards Sustainable Mobility

The “Why We Cycle” event was moderated by Ms Astrid Seegers, Head of Innovation for the Embassy and Mr Shawn Tan, CLC’s Deputy Director of Research. This was followed by the screening of the 2020 Dutch documentary “Why We Cycle” that showcased the positive effects of cycling on users, societies and the organisation of cities.

In the Netherlands, it is commonplace for young children to start to learn to cycle from just three years of age. This is just one example of the strong Dutch cycling culture, a critical component in its push towards sustainable mobility. In her opening remarks, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Singapore, H.E. Margriet Vonno applauded Singapore’s recent efforts to improve connectivity and safety for cyclists.

Fig. 1: Word cloud results from an audience poll: “Why do we cycle in Singapore?”

Although Singapore’s early sustainable mobility efforts have been encouraging, the event audience suggested that people in Singapore still typically associated active mobility modes like cycling with exercise, recreation and for short trips, rather than daily commute like in the Netherlands. As a microcosm of general public sentiment, this snapshot highlighted a stark difference in the existing cycling cultures between Singapore and the Netherlands.

Fig. 2: The panel speakers, moderators and Ambassador

Sustainable mobility in Singapore: Mindset shifts towards adoption

Mr Francis Chu, panellist and cycling enthusiast, shared that he was compelled to eventually sell his car and switch to cycling after becoming more aware of his increasingly sedentary lifestyle and its health impact when working previously in the Netherlands. While he noted the current gripes about unfavourable regulations and road design for cyclists, Mr Chu acknowledged the government’s efforts in ramping up bicycle-friendly infrastructure and shared that he intends to continue to commute by cycling given the overall convenience and flexibility it accords.

In contrast, Dr Samuel Chng, Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC), candidly pointed out that people in Singapore had a paradoxical relationship with their cars. While many decry the high prices of cars, car ownership continues to prevail and car owners use the sunk cost as justification to drive more even though in most instances, driving in Singapore remains less convenient, time-efficient and more costly than public transport or active mobility modes. Users need to overcome the mental model that the car is the superior transport mode in Singapore, especially considering its additional environmental impact, and begin to embrace Singapore’s comprehensive and affordable public transport network.

A key takeaway from their sharing was the reminder that improved and more deliberate communications of the net benefits of sustainable mobility to the public would be critical in shifting mindsets and encourage adoption.

“Why We Cycle” in the Netherlands – there are many benefits!

The Dutch documentary “Why We Cycle”, directed by Arne Gielen & Gertjan Hulster, highlighted that the “mainstreaming” of cycling in the Netherlands has been premised on a strong and entrenched egalitarian ethos that is shared across road users, regardless of transport mode, age, demographic profile and socio-economic status. In a way, cycling becomes a social leveler and platform for residents to “practise” spatial and social negotiations and in the process, deepen their sense of trust with each other.

1. Experiential benefits, e.g. the empowerment to take charge of one’s time, the ability to experience and immerse in city life, or to be more directly connected to nature;

2. Health benefits, e.g. increased physical activity and mental stimulation through commute, or meditative functions;

3. Social benefits; serendipitous encounters with other city dwellers, and establishing trust with each other when interacting on the road space; and

4. Financial savings.

The depth of the Dutch cycling culture is exemplified by how cycling even informs their everyday and life decisions. Some examples in the documentary include how individuals deliberately adjust their cycling routes to their destinations to cycle with friends, or even making home purchase decisions based on the suitability of the home-work distance for cycling.

Sustainable mobility in the Netherlands: A matter of implementation

Beyond relying on their residents’ cycling culture, the Dutch believe that active planning for mobility can shape behaviours, which in turn can facilitate other urban plans; planning for mobility and transport is not always development-led. Expanding on this point in the documentary, Mr Kees van der Burg, Vice Minister for Mobility of the Netherlands, believed that planning for a complementary mix of sustainable transport modalities can drive the city towards mode desired outcomes and has the potential to transform the city and make it more liveable.

Sustainable mobility also drives and supports our commitment towards a greener future. For example, the Dutch have been actively studying the use of hydrogen as a possible cleaner fuel source for its public transport system. Mrs Ellen Lastdrager, Managing Director Traffic and Transport at The Netherlands Organisation (TNO), highlighted that it would be important to harness such new technologies to build critical systems required to support sustainable mobility, provide fail-safe environments for pilots, and to secure commitment to scale up.

Fig. 3: Mobility in the Netherlands and Singapore (Source: Guus Baggermans/Unsplash and Joshua Tsu/Unsplash)

Sustainable mobility: A whole-of-society transition

Every city is contextually unique; yet in the face of common challenges like climate change and resource constraints, cities all need to constantly review our urban systems and make key strategic shifts, when necessary. The transition towards sustainable mobility is one such shift which if successful, would see system-wide benefits. However, a transformation of this scale would require incremental shifts, with room for trial and error. With many layers to consider in this complex journey, cities must harness partnerships and build trust among the public, private and people sectors through strong and sustained communications to bring about whole-of-society acceptance of this desired future.

The authors would like to thank the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Singapore and Dr Limin Hee, Director of Research, and Shawn Tan, Deputy Director of Research at CLC for their inputs on the article.

Authors' Bio

Gareth Conceicao
Manager
Centre for Liveable Cities

Gareth is a researcher at the Centre for Liveable Cities, where he looks at how the lens of complexity science can be used to understand the emergent behaviours arising from the dynamic interactions between urban mobility, user behaviour and planning and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Project and Facilities Management from the National University of Singapore, and a Master of Science in Urban Science, Policy and Planning from the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Victoria See
Manager
Centre for Liveable Cities

Victoria is a researcher at the Centre for Liveable Cities, where she focuses topics related to urban planning and design, foresight and urban mobility. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the National University of Singapore, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.