remembering with gratitude and fondness the strong support and encouragement given by fellow Tampines MPs, led by the then Minister Mah Bow Tan, when Tampines took the lead in piloting the Cycling Town initiative in Singapore as early as 2005. It was not an easy political decision to proceed with the two-year trial, but the MPs then - including Ong Kian Min, Sin Boon Ann and Masagos Zulkifli, were steadfast in giving leadership. Kian Min was then Tampines Town Council chairman; the TC built 2.2 kilometres of new cycle paths at the cost of S$1 million by 2009 - these were the first dedicated cycle paths in Tampines. Mr Mah played a pivotal and indispensable role in clearing bureaucratic hurdles and in encouraging us to persevere on. I must confess that there was a moment when I almost gave up, had it not been for his intervention. Masagos was Town Council chairman in 2010 when our unique Town Council by-laws for cycling were enacted, and made the decision to hire Auxiliary Police Officers to enforce them. I may be fronting the cycling initiatives for Tampines, but without this strong, courageous and united team of MPs from the start, Tampines would not have come this far as a model cycling town. A heartfelt Thank You to all of them. The "newer" MPs in Tampines - including Heng Swee Keatand Baey Yam Keng- are also strong supporters of cycling as a mode of transport within the neighbourhood. Indeed, it was Minister Heng Swee Keat who pressed for a hands-on course for all schools in Tampines. We will launch this in August :-)
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 05:43:13 +0000
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