Sports Hub in the news and their reply

After the posting on the lack of bike parking at the Singapore latest Sportshub last week, I was glad that the straits time picked up the issue.
Their reply was published and there are plans to have bike racks installed. Yayyhhh! 

Excerpts of it " Asked why there were no parking facilities for bicycles, Mr Robert Gambardella, chief of Sport Singapore's Singapore Sports Institute, said plans are in the works to integrate cycling infrastructure into the venue.
He said both Sport Singapore and Sportshub Pte Ltd, which manages the venue, have been studying where to install new bike parking facilities since the Sports Hub opened.
We want to place the racks in a strategic position, where there's lots of light and (the racks are) within sight so it's safe and secure," he said.
Mr Oon Jin Teik, chief operating officer of Sportshub Pte Ltd, said the company will install at least eight to 12 clusters of bike racks around the 35ha venue - hopefully by the end of the year.
"(When the Sports Hub opened) we wanted to observe the flow of foot traffic, so we could put these racks where end-users prefer," he said.
Addressing complaints from cyclists, he said: "We apologise and hope the public will have some patience."
Ok, now for the not so good part. There wasn't a definite date when it will be done by. Is cycling so low on the Sports Hub piority list? 
Now all it takes for an unpleasant experience is to have another chap's bike getting locked and it gets posted on the internet.....
***28th Aug 2014. Added direct reply from Sports Hub and again. No confirmed time for bike rack completion. 
"RE: ContactUsSSH - Item ID1676
Dear Mr Woon 

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

SportsHub is working closely with Sport Singapore to deliver a cycling ecosystem. Since the Singapore Sports Hub opened to the public, we are able to observe the flow of foot traffic to help strategically plan where cyclists would benefit from having bicycle racks across the campus.

 In a first step to enhance cyclists’ experience at the Singapore Sports Hub, we have increased the number of bicycle racks to the existing ones stationed at Stadium MRT. As we continue to strive towards a cycling ecosystem, we are planning to implement additional bicycle racks in locations that cater to the needs of cyclists’.

 We value your feedback and appreciate your patience during this process.

 Wishing you a pleasant week ahead.

 Thank you.

Best Regards

Samantha

Customer Care Team

Singapore Sports Hub"

As seen on Straits Time on Sat. 24th August 2014 

Dear Singapore Sports Hub.....please don't forget the cycling community.

On 21 Aug 2014, someone posted this picture on Facebook:

“Anybody knows where i can park my bike in sports hub? I cycle to work everyday and have been parking on the basement for the past 3 weeks without any issue then suddenly issued me a warning ticket. I don't see any bike parking lots outside the establishment”

The person added this photo of the warning ticket:

Taken from Lovecyclingsg Face book page

Let’s have a look at the Singapore Sports Hub’s website to see if they have any information about arriving there by bicycle and the parking of bicycles. A quick look at the Singapore Sports Hub’s webpage, “Getting Here”, revealed that there are many ways to get there. But I was very sad to discover that cycling isn’t one of them.

Taken from Sporthub webpage

In its webpage entitled “Sports Hub Project”, the Singapore Sports Hub dedicates itself as a public facility to promote sports to all:

       “Come June 2014, it will serve as a dedicated venue where Singaporeans can come together as a community to watch, play and support sports and entertainment.

The Singapore Sports Hub will be a fully integrated, state-of-the-art destination that will be open year-round to the public and will provide a variety of unique experiences, including community programming, Experience Sports initiatives and public facilities for everyday use.

Targeting all demographics – from elite athletes to the general public – the Singapore Sports Hub campus will ultimately be a space where Singaporeans can experience sports and entertainment.”

The sport of cycling has an extremely low carbon footprint, does not contribute to traffic jams, and provides a good means of exercise. Commuting by bicycle is also increasingly popular for many who live in Singapore. So, why wouldn’t a venue like the Singapore Sports Hub support this healthy and sustainable mode of transport by providing parking for bicycles? 

Currently housing the world’s largest dome-shaped structure, the Singapore Sports Hub costs S$1.3-billion[1] and sits on 35 hectares (86.4 acres) of land[2]. Surely, cost and space could not have been the reasons why bicycle parking fixtures were omitted. So why aren’t there any legal places to park a bicycle within our glorious, world-class Sports Hub?

Speaking of parking, check out the FAQ on getting to the Singapore Sport Hub; more than two-thirds of the FAQ is dedicated to paid parking for cars. I wonder why.

We hope that the Singapore Sports Hub will look into this matter of providing parking spaces for bicycles soon.

Sincerely,

Darren Siow, cyclist 

Taiwoon , cyclist

* [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Sports_Hub

[1] http://www.myactivesg.com/facilities/singapore-sports-hub