Civic District to go car-free once a month

Families and sports enthusiasts can take to the streets to walk, jog and cycle

The Civic District and parts of the CBD will be transformed into a walkable, cyclist-friendly, and activity-filled precinct for families and friends at Car-Free Sunday SG on 28 February 2016. With the roads free of cars, the streets can be given over to walkers, joggers and cyclists while the adjacent spaces will host sports and fitness sessions, family-friendly activities and a breakfast picnic area.

From 7am to 9am, the roads around the Padang – St Andrew’s Road, Stamford Road and Connaught Drive – together with Fullerton Road will be fully closed to vehicles, while Shenton Way and Robinson Road will be partially closed, creating a car-free walking, running and cycling route of approximately 4.7 kilometres. St Andrew’s Road and part of Stamford Road will remain closed until 12pm while Connaught Drive will remain closed until 7pm. Refer to Annex A for road closures and cycling route.

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure & Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan and Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong will be flagging off the event at 7am outside the National Gallery Singapore, along St Andrew’s Road.

Presented by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Land Transport Authority (LTA), National Parks Board (NParks), National Arts Council (NAC), Health Promotion Board (HPB) and Sport Singapore (SportSG), this pilot initiative will see  roads in the Civic District closed to vehicles every last Sunday of the month for six months from 28 February 2016.

Activities will be held at the various public spaces including Empress Lawn (in front of Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall), Esplanade Park and along Connaught Drive which were recently completed as part of URA’s enhancement of the Civic District.

The public can take part in fitness group exercises or try their hand at different sports at the Sports Try Outs such as 3-a-side Basketball, Mini Tennis and fun football activities conducted by ActiveSG Football Academy principal and local football legend, Aleksandar Duric. Food lovers can look forward to “Breakfast@Empress” where they can indulge in local delights, such as roti prata, nasi lemak and mee rebus at a special breakfast picnic session. Two food trucks – The Travelling C.O.W and Coffee Bandits – will also be stationed along Connaught Drive from 8am to 7pm.

The National Gallery Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, and Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall will open earlier at 9am for visitors to enjoy the various exhibitions and galleries on Asian and Southeast Asian art and culture. Families can also join in the Monument Trail, a guided tour to know more about historical landmarks as well as heritage and other interesting trees within the Civic District, or children can participate in sketching activities at Esplanade Park. There will be street performances at Esplanade Park, Connaught Drive and Empress Place throughout the day, till 6pm.

NParks will also be organising the second instalment of the popular “Satay Night Live” in the evening before Car-Free Sunday SG, on Saturday 27 February, at Empress Lawn from 6pm to 10.30pm. The public can enjoy satay and other local delights while reminiscing good old times with performances by local live bands “Jack & Rai” and “Jive Talkin’”. A song request station will take requests from the audience throughout the night. Refer to Annex B for the activities and their locations in the precinct.

Access to Car-Free Sunday SG

Members of the public are encouraged to take public transport or cycle to the event venue. Participants can cycle on their own bicycles or rent one from Car-Free Sunday SG’s partner bicycle rental companies and collect the bicycles at Connaught Drive. Amateur cyclists can take this opportunity to test out cycling as a means of commuting with a buddy, mentor or guide by joining experienced cyclists from Love Cycling SG, a cyclist interest group. Refer to Annex B for more details on the activities, and Annex C for cycling access points to the Padang.

Members of the public can visit http://ura.sg/carfreesundaysg and the Facebook page to find out more about the event.

#CarFreeSundaySG