Plans afoot to make Orchard Road pedestrian-friendly

Singapore

ORCHARD Road is set to undergo a rejuvenation aimed at making it more pedestrian-friendly and to inject vibrancy into the iconic shopping street.

For the long term, the idea of a fully-pedestrianised Orchard Road is being considered so that larger-scale experiential concepts can be rolled out.

In the near term, the government is studying the reclamation of one traffic lane from the current five-lane road and opening up existing parcels of state land to enhance pedestrian space. The lane reclamation will likely take place on the far right side of the road since the bus lane is occupying the far left side of the road.

However, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) highlighted it first needs to look at the feasibility of some of these changes and the impact on motorists and pedestrians, given that Orchard Road is a busy thoroughfare.

Together with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Land Transport Authority, this would require studying issues such as the load on secondary roads due to displacement of traffic, the impact on public transport, pedestrian safety, replanting of flora and the possibility of ponding.

Also on the cards for Orchard Road is a scramble-crossing at a major junction, similar to the ones seen in Japan. Scramble-crossing is a type of traffic signal that temporarily stops all vehicular traffic, thereby allowing pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction at the same time.The junctions at Cairnhill Road and Bideford Road were mooted as potential locations.

Aside from the physical changes, the idea is to also roll out more concepts and events, spanning from street markets to lifestyle events and performances. "We want to encourage new experiential concepts and more street-level pop up activations," said STB chief Lionel Yeo. "This can be done by allowing the temporary use of existing vacant sites such as the open air car parks at Grange Road and Angullia Park. We can also review guidelines for temporary structures and uses within the public realm."

Orchard Road Business Association (Orba) chairman Mark Shaw said the various initiatives would give Orchard Road the infrastructure for better lifestyle events, which would allow it to draw more locals and tourists. Enhanced pedestrian spaces would allow Orba to expand its signature events, such as Christmas On A Great Street, and introduce more elements such as pop-up stores.

Noting that some other countries have already pedestrianised their shopping precincts "with a great deal of success", Mr Shaw said most Orchard Road stakeholders are onboard with the idea.

This comes as retailers on the shopping belt face pressures on multiple fronts, from an uncertain economic environment to changing consumer patterns from the rising popularity of suburban malls and e-commerce. Tay Huey Ying, head of research at JLL Singapore, said: "There is an urgent need to provide compelling reasons for Singapore residents to return to Orchard Road so that it can regain its glory as the main shopping and entertainment belt."

"The return of shoppers is critical to convince international brands to have a presence on the street, and this will help to ensure that Singapore remains on the global list of shopping havens, which will greatly boost the tourism industry."

She also suggested that the pedestrianisation should be uninterrupted for a seamless experience, and possibly sheltered for greater comfort in light of Singapore's humid weather.

There have also been other attempts to make Orchard Road more pedestrian-friendly in the past. In October 2014, the STB introduced Pedestrian Night, where the 660m stretch between Scotts Road and Bideford Road was closed to traffic on one Saturday each month, between 6pm and 11pm. It had its last edition in February 2016. Infrastructure had to be put in place for the monthly event, which resulted in sizeable set-up costs, making it unsustainable to be carried out on regular basis, according to Orba.

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