LTA to Cut Down 50-Year-Old Trees Along Pasir Panjang Rd. Residents Upset!

Quote:http://themiddleground.sg/2015/06/30/no-saving-pasir-panjangs-trees/

By Wan Ting Koh

FOR a while, it looked as though the Pasir Panjang residents would get their way. They were upset at the Land Transport Authority’s decision in 2013 to widen the Pasir Panjang road, and cutting down the 80 or so trees that now line the road in the process.

But all was quiet during the two years since April that year when LTA signalled its intent to broaden the 3.9km stretch of Pasir Panjang Road and West Coast Road between South Buona Vista Road and West Coast Link to “facilitate smoother traffic flow”. LTA said adding a lane to each side of the road, which connects the Science Park and West Coast areas, would be better able to meet increasing traffic volume from new developments.

At that time, residents sent letters to LTA arguing against the widening of the roads, and nothing was done till residents saw the tractors trundling along the road and signs put up to warn road users of the upcoming works.

Businessman Kelvin Lee, 39, who has lived in the condominium The Foliage directly facing Pasir Panjang Road since 2010, is now fighting a rearguard action to save the trees. He kicked off an online petition on change.org last Saturday which has since garnered 643 signatures. “We feel that there are other ways to do this without butchering the trees,” he said.

The problem appears to be the number of bus services using the road. There are seven which serve workers in Science Park and students from the nearby National University of Singapore. At the traffic junction between Pasir Panjang Road and Heng Mui Keng Terrace, two bus stops are situated almost across each other. When the buses stop to unload or pick up passengers, traffic has to come to a halt as motorists would not be able to overtake the buses as they cannot catch sight of oncoming vehicles.

“LTA can consider making bus bays so that buses can pick or drop off passengers easily without hindering traffic. Or they can build a link to the West Coast Highway which is less than 100 metres away to divert traffic there,” said Mr Lee.

He is not convinced that traffic congestion necessitated the change. Beyond two hours of peak traffic every day, the roads are under-used especially on weekends, he argued.

“The trees have been here for more than 50 years, and they provide a beautiful foliage and ambience to the area. Why cut them down to widen roads that only face two hours of peak hour traffic every day?”

Trees destined for the chainsaw have been marked out in blue paint. They range from Yellow Flame trees to Angsana trees. Another supporter of the petition, Dr Santo Salinas, 47, a Research Scientist at NUS, said that adding more lanes might increase traffic and worsen the situation.

“Those who want to avoid the ERPs in the highway might come here. There would be more noise and more pollution in exchange for wider roads and animals that make their homes in the trees like squirrels and other bird species would have to be sacrificed.”

Mr Richard Ong, 76, a retiree who has lived in the area since 1952, agreed that wider roads might cause more traffic problems with the increase in traffic.” He cited how the throngs of students and office workers will have to cross the wider road when they pass through to NUS. “The junction is busy and students might get hit by cars”. As for the trees, Mr Ong said: “LTA should avoid killing the trees if they can”.

In the meantime, Mr Lee is chalking up signatures for his petition which he will direct to LTA. But with the tractors and bulldozers already rattling in, it goes to show that when the conversation goes quiet, it doesn’t mean nothing is being done.
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