SINGAPORE — Around the time that Singapore’s first fully automated underground bicycle-parking system opened to the public in January 2018, dockless bicycles, e-scooters and other personal mobility devices (PMDs) were already entering the market here.

The SecureMyBike system at the Kampung Admiralty integrated development, located next to Admiralty MRT Station, had cost the Government S$4.7 million to build over four years.

However, on Dec 28 last year, it was shut down by the Land Transport Authority less than two years after its opening — when the paid parking service saw a lack of demand and the parking fees collected could not cover its operating cost.

Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan said that the emergence of bike-sharing and e-scooter rentals “dramatically shifted the usage and parking patterns of privately owned bicycles (which then) fundamentally altered the economics of paid underground bicycle parking”.

The authorities were surprised by the rapid public acceptance and growth of shared bicycles, as well as the popularity of e-scooters.

Despite this initial disappointment, Mr Khaw said that the disused 198sqm underground space can be repurposed.

“We are keeping the options open, as the current situation is still changing,” he said. “As the number of PMDs comes down, the usage of shared bikes and privately owned bicycles may well rise again.

“I would not be surprised that similar high-intensity underground bicycles parking systems may be needed in Singapore, perhaps even at Kampung Admiralty in the future.”

Mr Khaw detailed the development of the SecureMyBike facility in response to a question asked by Nominated Member of Parliament Walter Theseira in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 4).

The first-of-its-kind underground facility in Singapore could house more than 500 bicycles and cyclists pay to park their own bicycles in “cells”, secured from theft and vandalism. They could also store equipment such as shoes and helmets in the cells.

Dr Theseira asked what kind of studies, projections and cost-benefit analyses the Government had done before supporting the multi-million-dollar project, and whether the Ministry of Transport plans to ensure that future “walk, cycle and ride” infrastructure improvements are cost-effective.

In his response, Mr Khaw said that the facility was built as part of plans to intensify land use, to be part of the Kampung Admiralty development, a public housing project he initiated in 2012 when he was Minister for National Development.

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) had planned to build two-room studio apartments for seniors there, and there was a “serious” space shortage problem when it came to bicycle parking, he added.

Although there were many surface bicycle-parking lots at the MRT station next door, there were not enough lots during peak hours, with indiscriminately parked bicycles cluttering the parking area and posing safety concerns, he said.

Several counts of parked bicycles there then confirmed that there was a substantial, long-term demand for more than 500 bicycle lots there.

Mr Khaw had seen an example of a parking facility in Tokyo, Japan, which stored up to 200 bicycles and charged users up to S$35 a month for the use of its services.

“My impression was that the Japanese were satisfied with their paid underground facilities,” he said.

Mr Khaw revealed that during an open tender for its construction in 2014, HDB received six competitive bids to construct, maintain and operate the bicycle-parking system.

The project was then awarded to Lum Chang Building Contractors, which subcontracted the job to Spanish company Ma-Sistemas.

When SecureMyBike opened, the parking service was free for the first month to encourage cyclists to make use of it. Discounted rates were offered in the following months before full fees kicked in in May 2018, where users may choose to pay S$48 a month for unlimited parking or 45 cents hourly to park.