Government has accepted these suggestions from Serangoon Garden residents to minimise disruptions to estate.
The Government earlier this month gave the go ahead to convert an old school in the estate into a dormitory for foreign nationals, despite a 1,600-signature petition and mounting opposition. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
THE Government has agreed to some proposals from Serangoon Gardens residents regarding the siting of a foreign worker dormitory in their neighbourhood, but turned down their suggestion of an alternative road to the quarters on safety grounds.
The residents had wanted a road linking the Burghley Drive facility directly to the Central Expressway (CTE), but the Land Transport Authority said safety issues make such a road unfeasible.
It explained that the stretch of the CTE between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and 3 is too short to fit in a lane that would allow vehicles to enter or exit the CTE from the dormitory safely.
And if the road is realigned in the way the residents suggested, pedestrians and cyclists will have to walk or ride along the CTE when leaving or returning to the dormitory, which is unsafe for them.
The Government's reply came in a letter on Thursday from National Development Minister (MND) Mah Bow Tan.
Earlier this month, he announced that an access road to the dormitory would be built, so buses transporting the workers to and from it will not need to wind through Serangoon Gardens, which already has traffic congestion problems.
With the road built, the buses will enter the dormitory compound via a slip lane on the CTE and exit through a new road leading to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
The MND said 'many' of the over 10 suggestions from residents have been taken up, either by government agencies or will be laid down as specifications for the dormitory operator to follow.
Retiree John Leow, 68, said he felt the Government had made 'quite a bit of compromise', for example, by planting greenery near the new access road to shield the access road from the estate's houses.
He was disappointed the residents' proposed road was a no-go, but said he thinks the residents will understand that 'workers cannot be walking along the CTE. We must also think about their safety'.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
