Fallen tree along Pipit Road in MacPherson causes buses to be diverted
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By around 10am, one lane of Pipit Road had been opened for traffic and workers were loading pieces of the fallen tree into a lorry.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
SINGAPORE – A tree along Pipit Road in MacPherson fell early on the morning of Feb 18, causing the two-lane road to be blocked for hours.
In a Facebook post at 9.58am, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Tin Pei Ling confirmed that no one was injured, nor were any cars damaged. She thanked the police and town council workers who were on site to help manage traffic and pedestrians.
The Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council handles such matters for the area.
She added that the town council had called a team from a horticulture contractor to clear the tree, which was last checked and certified to be healthy by the contractor in November 2025.
The two-lane road in MacPherson blocked by the fallen tree on Feb 18.
PHOTO: TIN PEI LING/ FACEBOOK
Ms Tin said that she has asked the specialists to investigate the cause of the fall and to check all the trees in the area again.
“Thankfully, no person or vehicle was damaged,” she said, noting that bus services were affected at that time.
In photos shared by Ms Tin, the road is cordoned off where the trunk of the large tree appears to have snapped at the base. In one photo, a sign can be seen on both sides of the road alerting motorists to the presence of elderly people. One of the signs seems to be dented.
In a Reddit post at 8am, a user published a photo showing a large tree sprawled across the road, blocking both incoming and outgoing traffic.
Bus services had to be diverted due to the incident.
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene, workers could be seen removing bits of the fallen tree along the road between Block 92 and Block 54 Pipit Road.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In a post on social media platform X at 8.25am, SBS Transit said that bus services 40, 63/63M, 65, 135, 154, 155 and 158 were being diverted from Paya Lebar Road, Circuit Link, Circuit Road, Mattar Road and Aljunied Road, skipping 12 bus stops due to the fallen tree.
Affected bus services under SMRT also showed a diversion notice on mobile apps.
By around 10.20am, all bus services were running normally.
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene, workers could be seen removing bits of the fallen tree along the road between Block 92 and Block 54 Pipit Road. The branches of the tree were also being cut.
At around 10am, one lane of the road was opened to traffic and workers were slowly loading pieces of the tree into a lorry for removal.
A flattened lantern among parts of the fallen tree along Pipit Road.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
According to one of the contractors called in to move and cut the fallen tree, the tree had toppled at around 8am. He arrived at 8.30am.
“There was a bus that could not pass through the road due to the fallen tree and was stuck for around 1½ hours before it could pass at around 10am,” said the contractor, who declined to be named.
He added that the traffic police had already blocked entry from the highway into Pipit Road by the time he arrived, with motorists being diverted to turn left into Paya Lebar Road and then Circuit Link.
There was hardly a traffic jam or any confusion, he noted.
The contractor said that only a lighting pole and a temporary structure used to hang lanterns were damaged.
The Straits Times has contacted the Land Transport Authority and Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council for more information.
