Growing town with teething problems
SINGAPORE — A growing new town that also saw a handover from the People’s Action Party (PAP) to the Workers’ Party (WP), Punggol East is not without its teething problems, with traffic congestion and a lack of affordable dining options still bugbears for some residents.
Residents of the youngest Opposition ward also spoke of amenities still lacking in their constituency, while some pointed to occasional lapses in estate cleanliness. But being just two years into its term under the WP’s Lee Li Lian, constituency residents also noted it was too soon to expect substantive changes to the estate.
The ward, with some 34,000 voters, changed hands in 2013, after Ms Lee won a by-election that was called after former Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer resigned from the PAP over an extra-marital affair.
In this General Election (GE), Ms Lee will be fending off a challenge from veteran PAP politician Charles Chong to keep her seat. Mr Chong has fought six GEs and oversaw parts of the ward when he was a Member of Parliament in Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency from 2001 to 2011.
With the Sengkang LRT lines almost fully operational and bus services plying the roads of the estate, some residents TODAY spoke to said the area is relatively convenient now.
“Transport here is convenient and quite well-connected ... Most of the time I (take) the MRT, so I’ll just take the LRT from my place and change at Sengkang station,” said Ms K Sudari, 56, a patient service associate living in Rivervale Street.
Despite being a young constituency, certain blocks of flats and car parks have had their lifts upgraded.
WHAT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION
Even with two shopping malls in the constituency — Rivervale Mall and the reopened Rivervale Plaza — residents found that shopping options remain limited.
The stalled upgrading works at Rivervale Plaza had been a flashpoint in the 2013 by-election, as a symbol of how municipal needs were inadequately addressed.
Finance executive Lai Yoke Lin, 43, said she hopes to see more shops among the Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats selling household items such as lighting and hardware.
Others, such as Mr Desmond Koh, 38, who is in sales and marketing, said the renovated Rivervale Plaza has been under-utilised. “In terms of merchandise, there is nothing (much). I would not want to go there unless it’s for food,” said Mr Koh, who has been living in Rivervale Street for about seven years. He added that the “most attractive” mall in the area is Compass Point, but added that it does not boast amenities such as a cinema.
Some residents living in Rivervale Crescent and Rivervale Street lamented that the food sold at the nearby NTUC Foodfare is more expensive despite being run as a social enterprise, and called for more hawker centres and coffee shops. Security guard Louis Ng, 62, said prices at NTUC Foodfare start from S$3.50 despite its less-than-central location. Even with improved connectivity, transport remains a sticking point for some residents as the population grows with the newly-completed Build-to-Order flats.
Some griped about the traffic bottleneck near the Sengkang-Punggol exit on the Tampines Expressway (TPE) after two bus lanes were opened last year. The issue was recently addressed by the Land Transport Authority — drivers will able to use the outer of the two bus lanes while giving way to public buses when necessary.
Residents in Rivervale Walk, such as warehouse planner Mark Z, 23, also pointed out that bus service 27, which goes to Tampines, is always packed and hope to see improved frequency and shorter waiting times for the route. Others living in Rivervale Drive hope to see more feeder bus services to take them to the interchange.
Rivervale Street resident Sarah Ong, 43, who works as an executive assistant in the West, suggested that private shuttle buses in the area be arranged to ferry commuters to the West side of Singapore.
“The train here is very, very packed. Even early in the morning, you’ll have to take a train from Sengkang to Punggol, and turn back to be able to get a seat,” she added.
Issues with cleanliness and the maintenance of facilities have also emerged, as some of the first-generation Sengkang homes are now more than a decade old. The estate’s level of cleanliness and maintenance, such as along the main corridors, was the most commonly-cited area for improvement.
Teacher Ivy Ho, 35, said her estate in Rivervale Drive has not been as clean as before. Problems with public properties, such as the shutters to the garbage collection centre or the lifts, took a longer time to rectify, she noted.
A Rivervale Crescent resident who only wanted to be known as Siti S, 35, felt the area was not being cleaned as often, particularly the car parks where litter and dog droppings could be seen.
TOO SOON TO JUDGE
Nearly all the 25 residents TODAY spoke to felt that the area has remained largely the same since Ms Lee took over. “Since I moved here in about 2010 and she took over in 2013, I don’t see any difference, I don’t see anything (slipping), it’s still okay to me,” said Ms Iris Ho, 49, who is self-employed.
Others such as an educator who only wanted to be known as Ms Alin A R, 40, was content to keep the areas “status quo”. “I think it’s too soon (since Ms Lee took over) ... what kind of change do (residents) really want?”
In an e-mail response to TODAY, Ms Lee said she is aware of some of the concerns raised by residents.
On the lack of food and shopping options, she noted that these concerns were raised even before she took over and has brought the issue up in Parliament, asking for suitable spaces to have more such establishments.
She also added that the temporary closure of Compass Point could cause some inconvenience to her residents.
The complaints on cleanliness have not gone unnoticed, with Ms Lee saying she observed the situation herself during her random estate inspections in the afternoons. Acknowledging that there are pockets within the estate that need to be improved, she said the town council is monitoring the new contractor closely.
On the transport concerns, Ms Lee said bus services 654 and 371 were introduced last year, the latter after she wrote in twice to LTA and raised the issue with the transport minister.
“I am really happy to see this materialise — this was one of the top three concerns I hope to resolve when elected. (I had) written twice to LTA and also brought (it) up to Minister Lui’s attention in Parliament,” she added.
