People ask the incoming Jurong East-Bukit Batok MP why the damaged ramp was removed instead of fixed

SINGAPORE: After a resident told Member of Parliament (MP)-elect Lee Hong Chuang about a ramp in a sorry state at Bukit Batok, the Town Council removed the ramp.

Mr Lee wrote about the incident in a recent Facebook post, posting before and after photos of the ramp located at Bukit Batok West Ave 9.

The resident told the MP-elect that the ramp is behind the car park at Block 647, near the loading and unloading area for lorries. They added that in the five years they have lived at Bukit Batok, the ramp has never been fixed. Moreover, despite having reported the issue several times, they only got a message that the matter would be investigated.

In his post, Mr Lee wrote that he has received several pieces of feedback regarding the estate in the past two weeks, adding that many improvements can be made.

“While we may not be able to resolve everything at once, as the saying goes, we can pick up one starfish at a time and return it to the ocean. In the same spirit, I hope we can tackle each issue, one by one.

“It is through our collective community efforts and partnerships with agencies that we can continue making the estate a better place for you and your family,” he added.

To be fair, the “after” photo Mr Lee posted was much better looking than the “before” picture, and a report in Mothership says that the ramp had been unauthorised.

However, commenters on Mr Lee’s post had questions for him.

One wrote, “Oh gosh. It’s a ramp at a loading bay so that trolleys can pass. People asked you to fix it, you remove it totally. Does it solve the issue? No.”

“Why resolve a problem but create another problem without thinking through why there was a ramp in the first place? Surely, it is to make more accessibility for many with trolleys, bicycles, strollers, wheelchairs, etc.,” another chimed in.

Others, however, offered more constructive suggestions moving forward.

“I think the best solution is to still create a path/fix the ramp and do extra markings on the ground+hump combination to make this a safe path for residents to get across. I think this can be done, right?” one wrote, tagging the MP-elect.

Another appealed to Mr Lee, writing, “Please build a new ramp instead of removing it. The ramp is very useful for many.”

“Halo sir, Lee Hong Chuang 李宏壮. We need that ramp to push stroller to the carpark lift / trolley to the supermarket,” one wrote.

Meanwhile, the Chua Chu Kang Town Council has been quoted by Mothership as saying that if there is a “genuine need” for a ramp in this specific area, it will “assess the feasibility of constructing one that meets the necessary building requirements.” /TISG

Read also: Let not the vanishing of Bukit Batok end the political career of Dr Chee Soon Juan