Car Free Sunday Singapore Style

I have been part of car free days in Belfast (currently only an annual event) and Paris  where things are much more frequent -and Singapore was different again.

All share the same unusual sensory experience of significantly reduced noise in an urban environment and a completely different perspective on the size of space occupied by roads. It really does feel so different. One of the real pluses with the Singapore event was a number of rickshaw type trikes on show like the one in the photo above.

Much better though than the reduction in noise and air pollution is that there is lots of fun for kids -for years they have been warned of the dangers of roads and yet for a few hours on a Sunday morning they can pedal right down the middle of some of the biggest ones around.

There was definitely a lot more lyrca on show Singapore than the other car free events I have attended but in part that is climatic as much as anything else. So much so they were selling it!

Lots of stalls were present along various parts of the route.

This event was very well organised and had first aiders at various points on the cycle routes although thankfully I didn't see anyone needing their services.

But of course stills only ever give a brief flavour of what it is like to participate in something like car free day. You really need video to properly capture the atmosphere and I have added a few below.

And of course at the end of all that energy sapping cycling some people tire a little more quickly than others. So child and child's bike both go into the cargo bike for a cycle home past Gardens by the Bay and through East Coast Park back to Marine Parade and not a single road necessary.