'I recognise downside of this arrangement': Transport Minister Chee responds to fuss on bus stop pillars in Marine Parade

SINGAPORE - One way to solve a problem commuters are facing at the new bus stop opposite Parkway Parade mall due to its design is to install cameras that allow those seated at the bus stop to see footage of arriving buses.

This is among the suggestions the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been asked to consider so that the bus stop can be made more user-friendly for commuters, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.

In a Facebook post on July 6, Mr Chee said with the installation of cameras, commuters who are seated at the bus stop can see the oncoming buses and have more time to get ready for boarding.

If this works, LTA can implement it at other bus stops with similar site constraints or pillars that hinder the view of approaching buses.

The unusual design of the Marine Parade MRT station bus stop has drawn flak due to two issues, Mr Chee said.

"First, the pillars at the bus stop are making it more difficult to see approaching buses. Second, it is a long bus stop with two different bus bays and commuters are not sure what buses stop at which bay."

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Mr Chee said the pillars are meant to support the roof and had to be installed at the front - rather than at the back as is more common - because there are underground drains at the back of the bus stop.

"Building the pillars at the back, on top of the underground drains, would hamper subsequent maintenance work that needs to be done," he added.

Mr Chee said LTA had considered other locations for this bus stop, but decided to stick to this spot and work around the site constraints because it is a shorter distance for commuters to walk to and from Marine Parade MRT station.

"I recognise the downside of this arrangement, as it means commuters could not clearly see the approaching buses when they are seated inside the bus stop," said Mr Chee.

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However, with technology, not having a direct line of sight does not mean no visibility, he added.

"For example, we could consider installing a camera which faces the oncoming traffic, and show the video footage on display screens inside the bus stops.

"This way, commuters who are seated inside the bus stop can see the oncoming buses and have more time to get ready for their boarding."

As for the two bus bays at the stop, Mr Chee said LTA's reasoning was that it will speed up boarding as many buses call at the same bus stop, and if the buses were not separated, commuters might have to walk farther to board them.

"I understand LTA's reasons for having two bus bays. LTA will improve the signages at the bus stop to make it clearer to commuters where they should go to wait for their bus," he added.

Mr Chee said LTA will provide an update on the improvements to be made after its review.

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Complaints about the Marine Parade bus stop emerged on Reddit on July 3, with one person asking: "Which genius designed this? No one can see incoming buses thanks to the row of pillars obscuring the view."

The post, with a picture of the bus stop, has attracted 114 comments so far.

The bus stop began operations shortly before the new Thomson-East Coast Line station opened on June 23.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.