‘Moving People, Enhancing Lives’. Does it ring a bell? Formed any impression from that slogan? Here is why probably you took so long to figure. It’s SMRT’s vision. SMRT, (not endorsing that SBS Transit is any better), has lost it’s positioning as a credible and world-class transport system that has failed in promising to move people with their trains and to enhance the lives of commuters. With little avenue to voice my concerns, this issue has sent mixed signals, leaving me full of confusion and full of frustration.
Let’s start with ‘Enhancing Lives’. How have the trains enhanced our lives? By introducing half-height platform screen doors on above ground stations to enhance our lives by preventing deaths? Or by enhancing our lives in reminding us to plan our trips earlier and to estimate and anticipate delays?
Now let’s take a look at ‘Moving People’. What is their way of moving us? By constantly reminding us to move to a less crowded area along the platform when the whole platform is filled with people? Or telling us to move to the centre of the car when there is isn’t any more centre space?
Delays and breakdows have become a norm in Singapore. This was not to be a decade ago, that I remembered very vividly. But today, society has evolved so rampantly, the crowd is alarming. The morning rush is overwhelming. Then we ponder, has the transport, in this case, the trains in particular, has the infrastructure keep up with the changing times?
We are constantly being told to mind the platform gap. Has anyone mind your personal space? Do they leave gap or gaps for you to breathe? Then the other kind of gap derives from social division. Not many are willing to give up something for someone, be it a seat or a communal space. Hence, as society becomes more and more divided, disparity becomes significantly evident in today’s context.
Is it our problem, or has it become our problem that our society is shaped as how it is today? Or are there greater factors contributing to such a social crisis? Maybe it’s politics, or could it be the Government’s lack of foresight, together with their poor judgment, poor planning and poor execution?
The Government finally tries to do something for the common good of society. One wonders whether or not they know it’s going to be effective or not. They recently launched the ‘Travel Early, Travel Free on the MRT’ campaign three weeks ago. Question is, has it worked? http://app.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=c3983784-2949-4f8d-9be7-d095e6663632
The whole concept looks utterly flawed. Who would be awake so early to catch the train for free then to drag themselves to work, (assuming that’s the main target audience for such an initiative), and to wait for work to commence? How absurd can that be? It saddens me to see so many Singaporeans working so hard at work, till the late hours, sometimes 9pm or 10pm, just to make ends meet. They do not even have quality time to spend with their family and loved ones.
One more thing, the poster of the egg irks me. The egg yolk represents the relentless Singaporean, while the egg white looks like the rest of other people, all on the trains. And the poster reads, have a leisurely breakfast. Leisurely? This whole approach of free ride feels indifferent even before the initiative was implemented. I personally experienced it myself, first hand and I can attest to the very fact that all this just boils down to the lack of infrastructure capabilities we are facing.
Or simply, there is too much on Singapore’s public transport. But haven’t we always been encouraged to use public transport? This issue has sent mixed signals, leaving me full of confusion and full of frustration.
SG Freedom Fighter
TRS Contributor