[Original photo posted on TRS: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=583559878355850&set=pb.416856241...
A sign which said children were not allowed to play at an HDB playground in Sengkang was taken down quickly yesterday after it drew ridicule from residents and online forums such as The Real Singapore & Hardwarezone Forums.
A picture of the sign was sent in yesterday (June 17) by TRS reader Jasmine, who was left confused at the sight of it at a playground in Block 323B at Sengkang East Way.
The sign was put up because residents complained that children at the playground were making too much noise, said the chairman of Ang Mo Kio Town Council, Dr Lam Pin Min.
"We did receive feedback in the past from young families of newborn children being woken up as a result," said Dr Lam, whose town council oversees the area where the playground is located.
But the town council has not received such complaints for a few years now, and when it received media queries on the matter yesterday, the sign was quickly removed. "We looked into the matter and found the sign no longer relevant, so we removed it," he said.
Netizens already had a field day poking fun at the sign and its contradictory message, reports The Straits Times. A picture of a girl studying at a playground with the caption "OK so I'm like just going to go there and do my homework" received thousands of "likes" and "shares" on Facebook.
Even residents in the area said the sign sounded silly. "A playground is for playing and running. What else are children expected to do there?" said Ms Siti Suhaini, 22, a housewife who takes her four-year-old there.
There are at least three childcare centres in the area and all of them use the playground, she added. Dr Lam said the sign was erected at least six years ago, when the town council was under a previous managing agent.
But most of the residents and childcare teachers who spoke to The Straits Times said they noticed it only a few weeks ago. Said Dr Lam: "This is likely a one-off signage with a poorly phrased message.
"A better message would be, 'Please be considerate and refrain from making excessive noise'."