Bt Panjang
again
Singapore — Work is under way to improve transport infrastructure
in Bukit Panjang, where the town’s population is set to grow by
close to 10 per cent with seven public housing projects in the
pipeline.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said 29 new buses under the
Government’s S$1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP)
have been added to services that ply Bukit Panjang, reducing
congestion and waiting times during peak periods.
Two new flyovers along Upper Bukit Timah Road and Woodlands Road
will be built, with parts of this stretch widened to improve the
overall traffic flow.
The stretch is a key arterial road for the north-western part of
Singapore, serving the Kranji and Mandai industrial estates, as
well as Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang towns. The LTA said this
stretch currently experiences “high traffic volume”, especially at
key junctions and intersections during peak hours.
The authority laid out these measures as Bukit Panjang’s transport
infrastructure came under the spotlight recently, after a video
taken by a commuter, who said she was unable to board Service 190
13 times on Oct 4, became widely circulated online. Public
transport operator SMRT announced last week that it would be
launching a new bus service between Bukit Panjang and the city on
Nov 17.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa, the constituency’s Member of Parliament, said
“the challenge” faced by Bukit Panjang is that it is “a matured
town that is still growing”. Bukit Panjang is currently home to
more than 110,000 residents, with another 10,000 more expected to
move to the estate over the next few years.
Mr Liang said “the main problem” is that there is presently no MRT
line serving the town. “Hence, residents primarily rely on the
public buses and LRT as the main modes of transport. As a result,
as the population increased, it resulted in more crowded buses, bus
stops and LRT trains during the peak hours,” he added.
Most of the 15 Bukit Panjang residents TODAY spoke to expressed
unhappiness with the frequency and crowdedness of feeder bus
Services 920 and 922, despite the addition of buses under the BSEP
programme.
The wait for Service 920 can be as long as 30 minutes in the
mornings, said assistant nurse June Din. The 52-year-old said she
has to take the feeder bus to Bukit Panjang Plaza in order to
change buses to get to her workplace. “I prefer to walk because it
only takes me about 10 minutes. I’ll spend more time waiting if I
take the bus,” she said.
Mr Liang said the location of the current interchange is also not
ideal for the major trunk routes, with a bus hub — a longer bus
stop that allows more buses to pick up commuters at the same time —
along Bangkit Road serving as the default interchange for bus
services for residents.
“It is so long that you do not know at which point of the extended
bus stop the bus will come to a halt for commuters to embark.
Hence, it is quite a common scene to see commuters racing along bus
stop to (board) the bus which could be stopping at the other end of
the bus stop,” he added.
The public transport situation could change in 2015 when a new
integrated transport hub — comprising a new bus interchange
integrated with an LRT station and an upcoming Downtown Line MRT
station — is completed. The part of the Downtown Line running
through the estate is scheduled to be completed in mid-2016.
Beyond public transport, residents also suggested more slip roads
to nearby expressways.
“More slip roads can be built towards the Kranji Expressway to
filter the traffic away from Bukit Panjang Ring Road. That area is
quite packed, especially before and after school hours,” said Mr
Keith Tan, 33.
There are three schools within the Senja area, but most motorists
prefer to use the same road, Bukit Panjang Ring Road, to access the
area.
The LTA said it is studying if Bukit Panjang’s accessibility to the
nearby expressways could be enhanced. With the road widening and
improvement work along Upper Bukit Timah Road and Woodlands Road
scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015, motorists can expect
shorter journey times by using the new flyovers to bypass two
traffic junctions at Bukit Panjang Road and Dairy Farm Road, it
added