Friday, August 26, 2011

New Serangoon bus interchange to open soon

MY PAPER FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2011, PAGE A6, HOME
From http://epaper.mypaper.sg/cnd/fvxen/fvxp/fvxpress.php?param=2011-08-26
ource Website: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110826-296261.html
By David Lim, my paper, Friday, Aug 26, 2011, limhw@sph.com.sg



PHOTO: COOL PLACE: The fully air-conditioned bus interchange im Serangoon Avenue 2, which is linked to retail mall nex and Serangoon MRT station, will open next Saturday, September 3, (PHOTO: JAMIE KOH)
MY PAPER FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2011, PAGE A6, HOME


After nearly three years of waiting, residents in Serangoon can look forward to a new bus interchange next Saturday, September 3.

The fully air-conditioned facility will provide a seamless link to retail mall nex and Serangoon MRT station, which is on the North-East Line as well as the Circle Line.

Occupying a land area of 7,000 sq m, the interchange in Serangoon Avenue 2 will replace the non-air-conditioned one in Serangoon Central.



PHOTO: Graphic illustration of traffic improvement measures
http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/NR_Serangoon%20ITH%20-%20Annex%20C.pdf
http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=8f4ltoel2nfac1y7jr4re3st4y88yyby41l04mc34t0q4vi74k


It will take commuters 2.5 minutes to walk from the new interchange to nex, down from the current five minutes.

Mr Chan Kwok Cheong, the Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) director for public transport promotion and services, said yesterday: "The new bus interchange will give commuters easy and direct access to the MRT station and nex.

"This makes it easier for them to run errands or grab a bite before continuing with their journey."

The $18.8 million project is the fifth integrated transport hub to be completed, allowing commuters to move between a bus interchange, MRT station and adjoining commercial buildings conveniently.

The other hubs are in Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Sengkang and Boon Lay.



PHOTO: Multiple Entrances to New Serangoon Bus Interchange
http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/NR_Serangoon%20ITH%20-%20Annex%20B.pdf
http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=8f4ltoel2nfac1y7jr4re3st4y88yyby41l04mc34t0q4vi74k


The new Serangoon interchange is accessible from six points, including basement two of nex and via a sheltered pedestrian overhead bridge in Serangoon Avenue 2.

The facility comes with barrier-free accessibility features, such as dedicated boarding points, tactile aids for the blind and graduated kerb edges to facilitate boarding and disembarking from buses.

An LTA spokesman said that about 6,000 commuters use the existing bus interchange, with the number expected to go up with the completion of the new hub.

To manage vehicular traffic, LTA has implemented measures in the vicinity, such as creating a traffic-light junction at the entrance to the new interchange.

With the opening of the interchange, two of the 10 existing bus services - 81 and 82 - will have their routes amended, said SBS Transit. The two services will no longer end in Serangoon, but will become loop services originating from Tampines and Punggol bus interchanges, respectively.

Yesterday, nex opened a covered pedestrian bridge linking the mall to a Housing Board multi-storey carpark in Block 264 of Serangoon Central.

Serangoon resident Tan Keng Kiang, 31, an engineer, said that the new interchange will provide a more comfortable environment for commuters, but he also voiced concern that the integrated facilities will attract more people to the area, leading to congestion.

Over the next decade, LTA will build more transport hubs in Jurong East, Bedok, Joo Koon and Marina South. Another one, in Clementi, is expected to open by year's end.


HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Direct access: 直达通道 - zhíí dá tōng dào
Boarding: 上车 - shàng chē
Traffic light: 交通灯 - jiāo tōng dēng
Congesion: 拥挤 - yōng jǐ


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