Unusual bus stop in Bukit Timah to maximise space
The "unconventional" bus stop in Bukit Timah Road was designed to overcome land constraints in an innovative way, said the Ministry of Transport.
The ministry was responding to recent online criticism of the design of the bus stop, after a photo by Facebook user Mei Shan went viral.
In a Facebook post last Wednesday, she said she was confused by how the bus stop was built, as there were railings situated in front of it.
The post, which has been shared more than 3,000 times, led some netizens to point out that commuters would have to walk metres from the shelter to the bus bay to board their bus.
On Saturday, the ministry said on its Facebook page the bus stop was built this way to overcome land constraints on busy Bukit Timah Road, while minimising the impact to vehicular and human traffic.
"Wonder what happens when there's insufficient space for a typical bus stop?" the post said. "The answer? We innovate!"
The ministry said the safety of passengers and road users is a priority, alongside keeping traffic flow smooth on the roads.
So engineers came up with the "unconventional" idea of placing the bus stop at the site, while providing a shelter for commuters.
In March 2012, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) addressed a similar concern in reply to a forum letter in the Today newspaper.
In its reply, LTA said that unlike what is typically seen, there had been insufficient space to have the bus stop parallel to the bus bay on that stretch of Bukit Timah Road.
However, building a bus bay was still necessary to prevent buses from obstructing traffic flow on the road as they stop to pick up and drop off commuters.
- NG HUIWEN
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