The Strait of Hormuz, Oil Shocks, and Why Cycling Infrastructure Matters More Than We Think

Cycling infrastructure is not just transport infrastructure.

It strengthens energy security, improves public health, supports an ageing population, reduces household transport costs, improves urban liveability, strengthens community connection, and supports environmental sustainability.
In an uncertain world of oil shocks, pandemics, rising healthcare costs and climate pressures, cycling is not a niche transport mode — it is a resilience strategy.


Petrol crossed S$3.30 a litre earlier this year. The Energy Market Authority has warned Singaporeans to expect higher and more volatile energy costs. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has also warned of severe consequences if energy disruptions in the Middle East persist.

At the centre of this risk sits the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. Singapore may be far away geographically, but we are deeply connected economically. Any disruption affects fuel prices, transport costs, logistics, and eventually the cost of living.

When we talk about energy security, we usually talk about supply — where oil comes from, how much we store, and how we diversify energy sources.

But resilience is not only about supply.

It is also about reducing demand and reducing dependence.

And this is where cycling infrastructure quietly becomes a national resilience issue, not just a transport issue.

Demand-side resilience: the overlooked strategy

Transport accounts for a significant share of Singapore’s energy use, much of it from petrol and diesel used for short urban trips.

Many daily trips in Singapore are relatively short and entirely cyclable if safe, continuous infrastructure exists.

Cities such as Amsterdam and Tokyo show that cycling can account for a meaningful share of short-distance trips in dense urban environments similar to Singapore's.

Singapore has already invested heavily in park connectors and cycling paths, and plans to expand the cycling network to more than 1,000km. This is a major and commendable effort.

However, the current network is still fragmented. Missing links, dangerous crossings, and sidewalks broken by carpark exits or condo entries discourage many potential cyclists. 

Completing the cycling network is therefore not just about recreation. It is about giving people a viable alternative for short trips.

Every kilometre cycled instead of driven saves Singapore imported fuel.

Cycling infrastructure, once built, requires almost no ongoing energy to operate. It is mobility that is largely insulated from oil prices, shipping disruptions, or global energy shocks.

That is what real resilience looks like.



Cycling is pandemic-resilient transport

The COVID-19 pandemic showed that transport systems can be disrupted very quickly. Public transport capacity was reduced, travel behaviour changed, and cities had to adapt quickly.

During the pandemic, cities like Paris rapidly rolled out temporary cycling lanes because cycling allowed people to move around while maintaining social distancing.

Cycling has several characteristics that make it naturally resilient during pandemics:

  • It is individual transport
  • It is outdoors
  • It does not rely on crowded vehicles
  • It does not require fuel supply chains
  • It can scale immediately without new vehicles

In future pandemics or public health emergencies, cycling infrastructure provides built-in transport redundancy.

Cycling is also a public health infrastructure

Singapore is an ageing society, and healthcare costs will continue to rise as the population ages. One of the most effective ways to manage long-term healthcare costs is preventive healthcare, which keeps people active and healthy for longer.

Cycling integrates exercise into daily life without requiring extra time, gym memberships, or special programmes. It improves cardiovascular health, mobility, balance, and mental well-being.

Active mobility is widely recognised internationally as one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. Infrastructure that encourages walking and cycling is therefore not just transport infrastructure — it is preventive healthcare infrastructure.

Designing cities that encourage people to move more in their daily lives may be one of the most sustainable healthcare strategies available.

Cycling improves financial resilience for households

Cycling is also one of the most financially resilient forms of transport.

A bicycle:

  • requires no fuel
  • incurs no ERP charges
  • does not require parking fees
  • has very low maintenance costs

In a world of volatile fuel prices, rising transport costs, and broader cost-of-living pressures, cycling provides something very rare: mobility with almost zero marginal cost.

For households, this matters. Transport is a recurring expense. If even some short trips shift from cars or ride-hailing to bicycles, the savings accumulate over time.

Cycling is not just energy-resilient — it is household-budget resilient.

Cycling changes how people experience their city

There is also a less measurable, but equally important, benefit.

People experience a city differently when they move through it at human speed rather than behind a windshield or underground. Cyclists notice neighbourhood shops, trees, parks, people, and small details that are invisible when travelling by car or train.

Over time, this changes how people relate to their environment. Streets feel less like corridors for vehicles and more like shared public spaces. Neighbourhoods feel more familiar. Cities feel more human.

Cycling does not just move people through a city — it connects people to the city.

This improves urban liveability and strengthens the sense of belonging to a place.

Cycling infrastructure is not just transport infrastructure

When viewed narrowly, cycling infrastructure looks like a small transport project.

But when viewed from a national perspective, it supports many strategic goals at the same time:

Cycling infrastructure supports:

  • Energy security
  • Pandemic resilience
  • Public health
  • Ageing population mobility
  • Household cost of living resilience
  • Urban liveability
  • Community connection
  • Environmental sustainability

Very few infrastructure investments deliver benefits across so many areas simultaneously.

Finish the network

Singapore has already made the strategic decision to invest in cycling infrastructure. The direction is clear.

The next step is not just expansion, but completion:

  • Close missing links
  • Improve dangerous crossings
  • Protected bicycle lanes on the road
  • Upgrade existing routes to be continuous and free of disruptions from side gates and carpark entrances.

Because a cycling network that is incomplete is not partially useful - it is often unusable for daily transport.

Conclusion

The Strait of Hormuz is thousands of kilometres away, but its effects are felt in Singapore through petrol prices, transport costs, and the cost of living.

We cannot control global oil markets.
We cannot control geopolitical conflicts.
But we can control how dependent we are on them.

Cycling will not replace cars or public transport. It does not need to.

But as part of a broader transport system, it can help to reduce energy demand, improve public health, lower household costs, and make our city more liveable and resilient.

In an uncertain world facing energy shocks, pandemics, ageing populations, and climate pressures, the humble bicycle is not a niche mode of transport.

It is one of the most resilient machines ever invented.

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