The coast is clear, but residents inland want more done
A block of flats at Haig Road decorated with painted banners of orchids. Twenty per cent of Marine Parade’s population is aged above 65. Photo: Don Wong
SINGAPORE — Perched within walking distance of the sea and served by a wide array of shops and good transport connections, the Marine Crescent area draws sentiments of contentment from its residents, who can point to recent upgrades to the estate that have made their neighbourhoods even more pleasant.
The area, looked after by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, has a large pool of elderly residents, and they have welcomed efforts to keep the estate looking fresh and elderly-friendly.
With 20 per cent of its population aged above 65, older residents of Marine Parade estate — which includes areas such as Marine Terrace — welcomed the addition of facilities such as lifts and exercise spaces.
Madam Norbi, a Marine Crescent resident of 40 years, said her estate has seen upgrading work at least once every two years. For instance, her block was painted just last year, she added.
“Last time, there was no lift at every level, but after upgrading, now there is a lift at every floor,” said the 63-year-old retiree.
Another resident, 61-year-old Goh Neng Meng, who has been living at Marine Drive for the past two decades, said that there are many elderly facilities around the estate, such as exercising equipment. “A lot of people like me use those facilities to exercise, it’s very good,” said Mr Goh.
And while residents have pointed out that there is no MRT train station nearby — the nearest is Eunos MRT Station — they felt the multiple bus services keep them connected to many areas in Singapore.
Ms Melissa Lim, 24, who works in the social services sector and lives at Marine Drive, said there are buses that travel all the way to Clementi and Woodlands.
Some of the projects piloted in Marine Parade that have been scaled up and implemented nationwide include a pilot that led to the birth of the City For All Ages initiative to design a better living environment for elderly residents.
Mr Goh’s latest initiative is an early-intervention programme for underprivileged families called EduGrow for Brighter Tomorrows, which supports a child’s education for eight years, from pre-school to Secondary One.
With 146,244 registered voters, Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) is the fourth- largest constituency in terms of the number of electors, behind Ang Mo Kio GRC, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Aljunied GRC. The incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) is facing a challenge from the Workers’ Party in this election.
Listening to the views of about 50 residents whom TODAY spoke to over several weeks, it was evident why the GRC has been a PAP stronghold, with residents in the core Marine Parade division saying they are being taken care of and have few reasons to be disgruntled.
But move further inland into the rest of the GRC, and pockets of concerns over municipal issues emerge, including vice activities in Joo Chiat and Geylang Serai, and illegal parking in the private estates in Joo Chiat and Kembangan, for example.
At Joo Chiat division, residents remain less than thrilled with the seedy pubs and social escorts that have clung to the area, despite past efforts to tackle the problem.
Ms Lee Wee Leng who lives in a condominium on Pulasan Road, felt the authorities could do more to address the issue. “Sometimes, when I walk along Joo Chiat, I feel very uncomfortable with the old men and (social escorts) standing outside the pubs,” said the 42-year-old real estate agent.
Residents at Geylang Serai were concerned about the same issue. Haig Road resident Serene Tan said the authorities have done “quite a good job in cleaning up” the area, but she still sees scantily-clad women walking around.
What she appreciates about the area is the strong sense community, especially among the elderly residents. For instance, a group of senior residents gather and tend to a community garden next to Block 10 Haig Road, and share their fruits of labour with other residents, she said.
Ms Tan enjoys the vibrancy of the “eclectic estate” with a mix of public Housing and Development Board flats, private condominiums and landed property. “The seniors, children and expatriates congregate at Geylang Serai Community Centre during the weekend, it is very lively with activities,” she said.
Residents of Joo Chiat also related parking grouses. Madam Yuen Wai Leng, who lives in a three-storey house at Carpmael Road near Joo Chiat, said there are always cars parked outside her house.
“It’s very unfair for those of us who have two cars. When we come back after work we can’t park the second car outside our house because there are too many cars parking (in the area),” said the 57-year-old businesswoman who has been living there for the past 20 years.
Another Carpmael Road resident, who declined to be named, suggested having season parking for households that have at least two cars. “(This way), we can always be assured of a parking lot outside our house,” said the housewife in her 40s.
At Kembangan, the bulk of whom live in landed property, residents — who praise the area’s ample greenery and neighbourhood parks — related the same complaint.
A teacher, who wanted only to be known as Ms Lee, said the “continuous and sometimes illegal parking” in her estate makes it difficult to drive around.
The situation worsens on weekends. A resident, who gave her name as Mrs Lim, said new commercial developments such as Paya Lebar Square and One KM mall, both of which opened their doors last year, have “intensified” the crowds.
Added Mr Laurence Lua, who lives on Eunos Road 5: “It gets very crowded during the weekends and festive periods. Non-residents sometimes drive in and clog up the HDB car parks.”
At Braddell Heights, the division that lies furthest inland, most residents expressed satisfaction with their living environment, citing the well-connected transport networks and convenience of having nex shopping mall in the vicinity.
Said Mr Seth Chiam, 26, who has lived there for close to two decades: “I love the MRT lines, how near we are to the Central Expressway ... The amenities are more than adequate, it’s not too far from town and schools.”
The division is served by several MRT stations along the Circle Line. However, some, like Ms Christina Lim, complained of bottlenecks at roads such as Serangoon Avenue 3, going towards Lorong Chuan. “The road is so narrow — any incident will jam us all up. I wish more lanes could be added,” said the Chuan Park resident.
Ms Ong Bee Hui would like to see more public sports facilities in the area. The 23-year-old said the nearest sporting complexes are in Hougang or Bishan, which are “too far away”.
While Serangoon Swimming Complex is a stone’s throw from where he lives, audiovisual engineer Ben Goh said it is under-utilised because “facilities are very old”.
“People would rather go to Sengkang ... The toilets and all (at Serangoon Swimming Complex) are not upgraded. It will be good to have a full-fledged sporting complex here,” he said, adding that commercial gyms are “too expensive to cater to heartlanders”.
However, he enjoys the tranquility of the estate. “It is peaceful despite being a mature estate, not overly developed and crowded, and still fairly well-equipped.”
