Kampung Admiralty will feature housing for the elderly, a medical centre and childcare facilities. Source: HDB
Kampung Admiralty, an 11-storey integrated development in Woodlands, will feature the first automated bicycle parking system in Singapore when it opens in Q3 2017, reported Channel NewsAsia.
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan officiated the topping out ceremony on Saturday (3 September) to mark the completion of Kampung Admiralty’s main building structure.
“We wanted to build a ‘modern kampung’,” said Khaw, who also serves as Minister for Transport. “Modern in a sense that we have all the modern facilities, but kampung whereby we retain the good old world charm of a kampung, of a village and more importantly very strong bonding among residents.”
The automated bicycle parking system, which is set to be rolled out in early-2017, will provide convenient and secure storage of more than 500 bicycles.
Much like the ones in Japan and Spain, cyclists can push their bicycles into a lift wherein a token or code will be given to them for retrieval. Meanwhile, the bicycles will be transported underground where they will be sorted and stored in a cylindrical shaft, which contains 167 bicycle parking lots. Kampung Admiralty will have three such cylindrical shafts.
“Quite unlike existing bicycle parks, it will be underground, therefore protected from the weather and more importantly it will be secured,” said Khaw. “Of course, it costs us a lot more to build this facility and also to run it. So, we need to charge a fee. I hope cyclists will be understanding.”
In Japan, users sign up for a membership in which they pay monthly charges, or are charged based on parking duration. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) revealed that it is studying such pricing models.
The underground bicycle parking system will be on trial to assess its financial viability and user experience. If successful, the LTA will consider rolling out the system to other areas.
Launched in April 2014, Kampung Admiralty is a multi-agency project developed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) along with other government agencies. Aside from the underground bicycle parking system, it will also feature a two-level medical centre, housing for the elderly and a childcare centre.
The 100 units of studio apartments are fitted with elderly-friendly features like retractable outdoor and indoor clothes drying system. Almost all the units were taken up when they went on sale during the July 2014 Build-To-Order exercise.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
