Like a blink of the eye, the iWheel4Fun 2016 event is over. Held at the Carpark of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, it is the first Active Mobility event in Singapore. I was there to soak in the atmosphere and talked to like-minded people.
I made a short video on the Carnival. Enjoy..
Also did my first Facebook Live broadcast.
The whole Carpark D is closed for this event. Kudos to SCC Travel Services (a subsidiary of Singapore Cruise Centre) to support this event. Admission for this carnival is free. You will need to register at the entrance to get a wrist tag.
It occupies a large area which allows ample space for the portable mobility vehicles to move around safely.
Here is the entrance to the contest area.
Here is part of the challenge
The Food
I believe food is very important in any event. Check out the variety of food trucks/vans.
Technically this is NOT a food van. It is a photobooth but since it is together with KOMBI beverage van, I put them together.
The PMDs and PEVs
There are many stalls selling or introducing the PMDs and PEVs. One of them stood out among the rest is the EcoRider for their interesting PMDs.
Here is the Electric uniwheel of the Founder of The Wheelies, Thomas Hoon. Super nice.
And here is the founder of Hoverboard Singapore with the X2 Hoverboard, their flagship product. Check out their Facebook Page.
And the guys from BWSS with their super chio E-Scooters.
The Participants
Participants come in different shapes and sizes with different age groups and of course, in different PMDs or PEVs. Most of them are participants in the contest or leisure ride. Some of them taking part in a performance to showcase the Electric Uniwheels. However, all had a common goal – That is to have fun. This shows that PEVs or PMDs are for everyone. Of course, it is still in the early stage for everyone to embrace them.
The Stalls
There are more stalls. I only highlighted those that I know or am interested. There is one store that stood out from the rest. It is not selling anything. It is requesting riders to make a pledge to become safe riders. Of course, I took it.
You can also do so. Click on the link below.
Click Here to Go To Safe Riders Website
You will need to sign in to your Facebook account to support the pledge.
Other Activities
The organizers had planned other activities for people to participant. One of them is the Zuma by Celebrity Fitness. There are also performance by The Wheelies. I did not stay long enough to watch them.
Summary
Here are my thoughts on this event. As I did not stay through the event, I can only comment those that I have seen. Correct me if I am wrong.
I feel that the organizers had done a great job in setting up the carnival-like atmosphere at the event. However, I do think that the location is slightly out of place. Even though there are shuttle buses on an hourly basis, I believe it will put some people off. In my opinion, if the area is accessible, many will be able to ditch their cars and come with their PMDs/PEVs or Bicycles.
In terms of promotion for the event to the public, there isn’t much (as of what I see). Most of them are via Social Media. I got to know about this event via my Facebook groups. Separately, I also get the media invite from the organizer. I talked to many people prior the event but none of them know it exists. As it is the first time, I believe it can just get better.
I thought that it was a great opportunity for the Transport Ministry to gather feedback during the event. Unfortunately, they were not present (If I don’t include the Safe Riders initiative). I also thought that it is a good timing for NTUC Income to let the general public know more about their new insurance plan for PEVs/PMDs/Bicylce. Unfortunately, that did not occur.
Nevertheless, it was a great effort to have the first Active Mobility Carnival. I am looking forward to the next one.
[ad#img]