Maplewoods - A case of wanting their cake & eat it?
I think the measures proposed by the authorities to address residents' concerns are very reasonable but they are still unhappy! :doh:
ST,30June2011
MAPLEWOODS condominium residents - upset over a new MRT construction site which they claimed they learnt of only last month - have been presented with new proposals addressing their concerns about traffic and safety.
First, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will revise its plans so that trucks carting tunnelling debris from the site do not have to cut across the only access road to the Bukit Timah Road estate.
Second, its 3,000 residents have been given three options for a new pedestrian footpath to make it safer for them to reach Bukit Timah Road and Methodist Girls' School (MGS) in Blackmore Drive.
The three options are: building a gate at the back of the condo giving direct access to MGS, creating a 1.2m-wide footpath on the condo's premises leading to the school, and building a public path on the perimeter of the construction site.
'Both the vehicular and safety issues have been vastly improved,' said MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza, who discussed the new ideas with more than 100 residents last night.
He noted that safety for the condo's children was his top priority and that the new solution has addressed this.
Last night's meeting was his third since he first heard about residents' concerns on May 23. He was accompanied by his fellow MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and LTA's chief executive Chew Hock Yong.
Unhappiness surfaced last month when residents learnt of LTA's plans for the new construction site. Work began in front of the estate for the King Albert Park MRT station last June, but was halted on June 6 due to protests over the new site which will allow trucks to carry debris from tunnelling work. The station, which is part of the Downtown Line Stage 2, is slated to be ready by 2015.
Residents said the construction work and traffic diversions would make it difficult to drive in and out of the condo.
There was also worry over the safety of pedestrians, especially students walking to MGS.
Letters were sent to the Prime Minister and a dialogue with LTA and Mr de Souza was held to discuss solutions. However, no agreement was reached.
Among the solutions offered then was the building of a footpath from the condo towards King Albert Park.
Residents also suggested moving the new construction site nearer to Sixth Avenue, but the LTA said it was not feasible due to construction limitations.
At yesterday's four-hour meeting, residents said the new suggestions gave little comfort and insisted on relocating the new construction site.
Resident Michael Morris, 49, a software salesman, said: 'We had asked for and hoped for a complete reassessment without any preconceived notions, but all they have done really is put band aids on the core issue.'
He added that residents 'still haven't heard any justification about the decision made many years ago' for locating the site in such a tightly constricted space.
More talks are expected between LTA and residents to work out a solution.
Dr Balakrishnan, who is also Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, told the residents: 'While I'm in a position to lean on them (LTA), I cannot promise you a final outcome. We will maximise safety and reduce inconvenience for you. Your pressure on LTA has made the plan better.
'This has not been a perfect plan. This is an improved plan, but I think further improvements can be made,' he added.