Initiative to create pedestrian-friendly streets to cover all towns here by 2030

More than 20 older precincts also set to be spruced up to promote active ageing

- Kok Yufeng

By 2030, an initiative to make some neighbourhood streets safer and more conducive for pedestrians, including seniors, will be expanded to cover all 24 towns in Singapore.

When that happens, these streets will have longer green-man signals, lower speed limits and kerb-free crossings.

Meanwhile, more than 20 older precincts in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Queenstown and Toa Payoh, which have a higher concentration of elderly people, will be spruced up over the next five years to promote active ageing.

Barrier-free ramps, fitness trails and therapeutic gardens are in the works. These senior-centric upgrades are expected to benefit more than 21,000 households in these precincts.

Fitness trails, for instance, are meant to encourage seniors to go outdoors, stay active and expand their social networks. One such fitness trail will be built in the Mei Ling precinct in Queenstown as part of rejuvenation plans announced by the Housing Board in September.

There are also plans to launch assisted-living flats for seniors in 30 locations by 2030, if the model proves effective.

Two pilot projects have already been launched in Bukit Batok and Queenstown, and a third will be launched in Bedok in December.

The planned infrastructural improvements have been brought under the umbrella of Age Well SG, a national programme cutting across the areas of housing, transport, active ageing and care services, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee at a press conference on Thursday.

Led by the Health, Transport and National Development ministries, the programme aims to help those aged 65 and above to age well in their homes and communities.

On the transport front, the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Friendly Streets scheme will first be tested in five locations – Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok West, Tampines, Toa Payoh and West Coast.