Blog

Bringing back the mobile services

Aug 14, 2021

As Singapore’s bid to fully vaccinate its population - especially seniors aged 60 and above - against COVID-19 go into overdrive, the authorities are taking a page from the kampung days.

For weeks, the Ministry of Health has been dispatching mobile vaccination teams to dozens of locations around the island, from Woodlands to Bukit Merah, Jurong West to Tampines. They set up shop in void decks and community clubs, bringing jabs to the masses.

There are also 11 home vaccination teams, visiting seniors who are unable to leave their homes.

Two #IGotMyShot trucks, armed with loudspeakers, ply the same areas as the mobile vaccination teams, broadcasting pre-recorded messages in the four official languages and other Chinese languages, calling on the unvaccinated to get their shots. An emcee in each truck provides information such as specific locations and operating hours of mobile vaccination teams.

This harks back to the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, when it was common for the authorities to send mobile teams into the rural areas to provide essential services to villagers.

Retrofitted trucks and vans braved the island’s rural roads to reach the most remote of villages. They provided cheap or free medical treatment and check-ups such as x-rays for tuberculosis, postal services, library services, replacement and issuing of identity cards, and so on. These absolved villagers of the need to travel long distances to the City.

A Health Department mobile dispensary, donated by the Rotary Club, in 1951.

Credit: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

The mobile dispensary serving students of Bukit Panjang Government School, which was deep in the rural regions at the time.

Credit: Bukit Panjang Government School Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

A Government travelling dispensary in 1963.

Mobile x-ray units to combat tuberculosis, 1964.

A mass x-ray campaign at Joo Chiat Community Centre, 1966.

In 1967, Member of Parliament for Moulmein Avadai Dhanam Lakshimi (the wife of Singapore’s third President, Devan Nair) launched a mobile x-ray campaign in her constituency.

Mobile skin clinics to fight leprosy, 1965.

Mobile identity card services, 1957.

Mobile library services, 1967.

A mobile postal services van, 1963.

These vehicles were far cheaper than building a new hospital or post office, and their “touring” schedules could be adjusted according to needs on the ground.

From the 1970s, as villagers were resettled en-masse to self-contained New Towns, and as Singapore’s rural areas shrank, these mobile services were gradually phased out. But we are living in unprecedented times now. Old ways sometimes work in the present. 2021’s mobile vaccination teams have successfully reached thousands of people.

Pedestrianised Woodlands Ring Road

Aug 1, 2021

In February, part of Woodlands Ring Road in the north of the island was pedestrianised for a six-month trial.

The stretch between Woodlands Drive 63 and Woodlands Drive 71 was converted into two parts - the westbound lane was completely closed to motor traffic, while the eastbound lane was reserved for buses and emergency vehicles only.

The partial pedestrianisation of Woodlands Ring Road comes after the Transport Ministry set out plans in August last year to re-imagine Singapore’s road infrastructure, by converting certain under-used road lanes into cycling and bus lanes, as well as pedestrianising certain roads.

It is part of Singapore’s ongoing push to go car-lite, and promote walking and cycling. Other car-lite projects include the pedestrianisation of Bencoolen Street in the city. In 2019, about 60m of Fusionopolis Way road in one-north business park was converted into a pedestrianised street on a trial basis.

The LTA said the trial in Woodlands will give residents and students from nearby schools, including Minds Woodlands Gardens School, Woodlands Ring Primary and Secondary Schools as well as Spectra Secondary School, more space to walk and cycle.

“This will also make access to Kampung Admiralty, Admiralty MRT station and other amenities more convenient for pedestrians,” it added.

The LTA said it will engage the community to seek feedback and suggestions on the project, and the temporary modifications to the road layout will only be made permanent if the public supports the move.

As the six-month trial was ending this month, I visited the pedestrianised stretch of road today.

The junction with Woodlands Drive 63.

It felt good walking freely on a road that’s normally reserved for motor vehicles!

This stretch was chosen for the trial because of relatively low vehicular traffic; turns out pedestrian traffic was low too. Not many joined me on the road; some even kept to the pavements.

It was a short stretch, only around 200 metres, and my leisurely stroll lasted less than 10 minutes.

Approaching the junction with Woodlands Drive 71.

The junction with Woodlands Drive 71.

Despite the short length of road, that’s still quite a fair bit of land freed up. If the pedestrianisation becomes permanent, there’s so much potential for community activities, such as bazaars, performances, exhibitions, and alfresco dining.

I hope more of such under-utilised stretches of road are pedestrianised, not just in Woodlands, but in towns all over Singapore.

Saving Dover Forest

Jul 31, 2021

The plan for Dover Forest has been revised, with public housing expected to be launched in the eastern half next year while the western half is set aside for now to preserve its biodiversity.

The young secondary forest plot in western Singapore is zoned for residential use, but the plans were tweaked after scientific studies and nature enthusiasts flagged its conservation value.

To balance the country’s needs for both housing and nature, only the eastern half of the 33ha site - almost eight times the size of the Padang - will be developed in the nearer term.

The plan is to develop about 11ha of land in the eastern half for public housing projects. The first of the flats there are expected to be launched in the second half of next year, said the Housing Board on Friday (July 30).

The development of the area, which is located in the mature estate of Queenstown, will be done sensitively and also feature 5ha of greenery - including a park with a natural stream.

The western half of the site will be set aside for now and relooked at in about a decade, HDB added. But parts of this segment, which is richer in biodiversity than the eastern half, will be carved out and safeguarded as a nature park.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said on Wednesday during a media conference: “HDB had originally intended to launch the entire parcel, known (also) as Ulu Pandan vegetated area or Ulu Pandan Forest, for public housing to meet pressing needs for public housing in the near term. But we have decided to review it and refine it.”

This decision was made after feedback from members of the public and the findings of two separate scientific studies.

The first study, commissioned by HDB to inventory the wildlife on the site, had found that the western part of it was richer in biodiversity, comprising more large trees and threatened species.

The second study by the National Parks Board, in consultation with experts, modelled how the Dover plot connects with other forests in Singapore.

This exercise had shown that the site was an important stepping stone for wildlife moving in from the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve north of the site, as well as from the vegetation in the Southern Ridges further down.

These factors informed plans for the site.

While other development projects have incorporated green features before, these elements are usually included on an individual-project basis.

This is the first time vegetation on a site is being safeguarded via a broader landscape approach, in a way that will allow the plot to serve as a stepping stone for wildlife moving from other forests...

Originally, the whole of Dover Forest was to be developed for housing. Now, part of Dover Forest West will be carved out for a nature park, while the rest of Dover Forest West will be set aside for 10 years. Most of Dover Forest East (below) will be developed.

I guess that’s progress.

It also gives me hope that ultimately, other endangered places of natural heritage in Singapore, such as Bukit Brown, can be conserved.

My posts on Dover Forest West and East.