Tuesday, July 15, 2008
So What About The New Downtown Line?
Finally! There's gonna be MRT stations at Bukit Panjang. LTA has just unveiled its plan for the new Downtown Line 2 which will link Bukit Panjang and Bukit Timah to the Downtown. The MRT route will ply along the whole stretch along Bukit Timah Road (duh). It claims to reduce the time taken to travel from Bukit Panjang to Downtown area from 1 hr to 40 minutes.Of cos. It's something to applaud about. I have lived in Bukit Panjang for a good 20 years and see for myself how the town has evolved. Sad to say, nothing has changed much with the exception of more flats sprawling in the neighbourhood, a shopping mall, more schools around and my primary school underwent a major upgrading, a pathetic-looking bus interchange and the LRT which I have not taken a ride on for 4 years. Given that it's not a super new estate and yet lacking facilities, and for this, I am so not impressed with our MP who does nothing but smile all days at the aunties and attending events. Where's my swimming pool and sport complex (which was shelved off several time)? Opps, sorry, I digress.
Bukit Panjang is still a very much "Bird-dont-lay-eggs" (niao bu sheng dan) place, mainly due to the fact that we cant be spotted anywhere on the MRT map. Sometime when people (referring to those with lousy geographical sense)ask me where I live, I have to tell people I stay near Chua Chu Kang.
Despite all these, I still love Bukit Panjang very much. I learn to appreciate its good as I grow up with Bukit Panjang. In a way, it is a "prime" location. Situated right next to BKE, we are only 30 minutes from Orchard, given smooth traffic condition. It's so convenient with 2 direct buses, 190 and 700 that can send me home, without having to squeeze into the extremely packed train. At least, the chance of me getting a seat on the bus is higher than getting a seat on the train. Plus, the buses come at higher frequencies compared to other buses. When I need to go to the east, I can simply take bus 960 to Bugis which take me 40 minutes, hop onto the east-bound train or bus 187 to Woodlands in 15 minutes, transfer to bus 168 to Tampines, all in an hour time. There may not a lot of buses that pass by Bukit Panjang, but its good enough for me to reach out to most places in Singapore. Also, because of the fact that I have no train to take from my place and I am forced to take buses most of the time, it made me very road-savvy as well. Too bad, I dont drive.
I hope with the new MRT line, they will still keep all the bus services, though thats highly unlikely to be so. It may give me an alternative mode of public transport, but i dont see it as necessary as with the current buses, I am already enjoying great conveniences. If they are going to remove most of those buses that ply along Bukit Timah and to town, I will be damn sad. Plus, I will have to walk quite a distance to the MRT station (Petir Road Station, linked up to Bt Panjang LRT station), compared to a 5 minutes walk to the nearest bus stop. It will only be beneficial to those who stayed near an LRT station and travel on LRT frequently. How about residents, like me, who stay near the main road and no nearby LRT station (nearest for me is 15 minutes away)? Buses, still remain the best mode of transport for me.
Hmm... with the Downtown line in place, the gahmen will have enough excuses to built more ERP (Every-Road-Pay) gantries along Bukit Timah Road. Ha! To force the rich residents of Bukit Timah to take public transport.
I may not be staying in Bukit Panjang by then they complete the building of the line in 2020 (estimated). Darn... I will be in my 30s already.
Labels: Bukit Panjang, Bus, Downtown, MRT
