An underground bicycle facilities that took 4 years to build and costed S$4.7 million has to be shut down because there are too few users, according to Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in parliament on Tuesday (Feb 7).
Only 3 out of the 500 slots were used daily on average, and there were only 5 monthly pass users who pay S$48 a month to park there.
The PAP minister blamed the emergence of shared bicycle and e-scooter for the failure of his idea:
“Both shared bicycles and e-scooters have dramatically shifted the usage and parking patterns of privately owned bicycles. This fundamentally altered the economics of paid underground bicycle parking. As the fees collected could not cover the operating cost, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) decided to end the trial on 28 December 2019.”
However, ground feedback claimed otherwise. A cyclist interviewed by state media Straits Times said there is aplenty of free parking outdoor and there is no need to pay for bicycle parking.