Angullia Park near Wheelock Place
ORCHARD ROAD'S BLOCKHEADS
Drivers spotted jamming S'pore roads during festive season at:
Angullia Park near Wheelock Place
Open-air carpark opposite Wheelock Place
Orchard Turn which leads to Ngee Ann City taxi stand
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
December 22, 2007
THE festive jam along Orchard Road is being made worse by inconsiderate motorists who don't give a hoot when others toot.
Gridlock at carpark entrance at Wheelock Place. -- Picture: ZAIHAN MOHD YUSOF
During the season of goodwill, the spirit of giving way is nowhere in sight.
These motorists choose to block the way of others instead of parking properly. They block vehicles trying to make an exit by illegally parking at no-stopping zones. And these 'blockheads' jump queues indiscriminately.
Over the last three days, The New Paper team has observed inconsiderate drivers behaving badly at three spots along Orchard Road.
AT A STANDSTILL
Last Tuesday, at Angullia Park - a two-lane street near Wheelock Place - traffic came to a standstill for 10 minutes when six drivers parked their vehicles on both sides of the busy road. The selfish drivers ignored others who had gestured them to move off.
Motorists entering Angullia Park were blocked by two taxis parked on the left side of the road (near Liat Towers) and two goods vehicles parked on the right side.
This left a space barely enough for a car to go through and as a result, one vehicle got stuck in the small passageway.
For the next 25 minutes, frustrated drivers kept honking away.
The traffic was made even worse when a line started to form from the entrance of the Wheelock Place carpark, even though the 'carpark full' sign was displayed.
One motorist, Mr S Gopinathan, 36, said: 'I'm late for an appointment just because some drivers think they can park their cars illegally as though it was their fathers' road.
'If I had known I would be caught (in the jam), I would have walked to my meeting (a few hundred metres away).'
Two impatient motorcyclists escaped the congestion by riding on the sidewalk.
One woman at a taxi-stand at Liat Towers, tired of waiting, was seen leaving the queue in a huff.
Ms Edna Toh, 24, said: 'I'm next in line for the taxi, but what's the point of taking one when it's going to be stuck (in traffic)?'
FAILING TO GIVE WAY
At the open-air carpark opposite Wheelock Place (behind Far East Shopping Centre), a race was on to get parking space.
While most drivers waited patiently, two had reversed their cars against the traffic flow to secure parking spots.
One driver, who was trying to vacate a parking lot, found it hard to do so as his car's path was blocked.
The driver, Mr Jaslan Samad, 42, said: 'When a jam happens, Singaporeans tend to show their 'kiasu' side - so afraid to give way and lose that precious one inch of road space.'
Mr Henry Tay, security manager at Meritus Mandarin, has seen such scenes being replayed every year. He said the traffic build-up usually starts two weeks before Christmas.
'During the festive season, motorists are in a rush to party, dine or shop, and that's usually how the traffic jam starts, when they are unwilling to give way,' he said.
'At the traffic junction, motorists sometimes tail each other. They try to inch through before the light turns red, but can't, and they get stuck right in the middle of the junction, blocking oncoming traffic on the other side when the green light goes on for them.'
At other locations, remedial measures were taken sometimes when traffic woes worsened.
On weekends and holidays, Orchard Turn - the road leading into the taxi stand of Ngee Ann City - is typically slow-moving.
Yesterday, traffic wardens were out in force to guide motorists heading there.
By late afternoon, motorists were told that the parking lots at the shopping mall were full.
PARKING AT BUS BAY
Some drivers obediently turned away but a few got creative.
Two vehicles - a car and a pickup - conveniently parked at the bus bay, with the drivers waiting in the vehicles for at least 10 minutes.
Later, a woman carrying shopping bags came running towards the car as a bus was seen approaching the bus stop. The vehicles left just as the bus was about to leave.
Apart from motorists, pedestrians were reckless, too.
Some ignored the traffic signals at two pedestrian crossings - between Ngee Ann City and Meritus Mandarin, and between Paragon and Crown Prince Hotel. They crossed in large groups even when the lights were red.
Cars heading to Bideford Road sometimes found themselves surrounded by a sea of pedestrians.
The police say pedestrians endanger themselves and the lives of others by crossing the road in a dangerous manner, and warn against such unnecessary risks.
Oh, why do we lose our heads in trying to get ahead of the crowds?
