The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has built a temporary bus interchange in Yishun while the existing bus interchange is being transformed into an Integrated Transport Hub (ITH), revealed media reports.
It opened last Saturday after operator SMRT conducted extensive consultations with commuters and other stakeholders, including trials with wheelchair users. However, some people have complained about the interim facility’s location and size just days after operations started.
“I have to walk from the MRT station all the way to the interchange every day from Monday to Saturday. Not good for an old woman like me,” said 62-year-old Fatimah Jaafar, who underwent a kidney transplant.
The previous interchange was adjacent to Northpoint Shopping Centre and located opposite Yishun MRT station, and all three sites were linked by an underground walkway. On the other hand, the temporary facility is situated across from the mall and commuters must now cross an extra road to travel to it from the MRT station.
Some commuters also felt the temporary bus interchange is too big. Measuring 27,000 sqm, it is larger than the old 20,000 sqm facility. “Just walking from one end to the other is very tiring,” noted student Dwight Adriel.
Other minor complaints include the misuse of priority queues, occasional traffic jams at its entrance and confusion over the revised routes for some buses.
The interim facility will be in use until the new complex is completed by 2019. The upcoming ITH will feature an air-conditioned bus interchange with an underpass connecting to Yishun MRT station. It will also be linked to the future Northpoint City project as well.
Image: Old Yishun Bus Interchange. (Source: TimLee90; Wikimedia Commons)
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
