This is a lesson to all Singaporeans. Do not vote blindly, vote wisely! Does Goh Meng Seng know about this issue?
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100618-222728.html
Residents petition against lift upgrading programme
ANOTHER group of residents is up in arms over lift-upgrading works at their block, after a similar eight month- long protest by residents in Eunos was resolved in March.
Forty-seven residents of Block 145 in Tampines Street 12 have signed a petition against the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) being carried out at their block, and submitted it to the Housing Board.
The LUP was launched by the Government in 2001 to provide a lift on every level of certain HDB flats. To date, 50 per cent of eligible blocks have been upgraded.
This petition comes after residents at Blocks 411, 415 and 417 in Eunos Road 5 asked HDB to tear down the lift shafts built under the LUP, as they blocked light and made homes too dark.
HDB then modified the design of the lift shaft, replacing part of the length of a brick wall linking the shaft to a corridor with aluminium fins, so that residents of affected units would not look out onto a full brick wall.
The fins still safeguard residents' privacy, but block less light than the solid walls.
The LUP plans for the 12 blocks in Tampines Street 12 - Blocks 140 to 151 - were put to a vote in July 2007. They were given the go-ahead by almost 86 per cent of the residents, an HDB spokesman said.
One of the residents who signed the petition, Mrs Chai Yau, 59, a housewife, said in Mandarin: "We were told we will soon have lifts on every floor, but we were not told that the modifications would result in less light and ventilation."
The area, where work started in 2008, is already getting the modified lift shafts.
But residents, who have seen the completed work in some blocks, still find that the modified lift shafts block too much light and affect ventilation.
Some fear that the dark stairwells might lead to more accidental falls, attract seedy characters and even become a make-out hot spot for students from a nearby school.
Driver Wong Wee Ming, 52, whose block has been upgraded, said in Mandarin that he had to ask the town council to switch on the corridor lights earlier, as it is already "dark as night at 3pm" and he is worried about his children's safety when they come home from school.
He said: "It's a waste of electricity but, since the construction of our block has been completed, there is nothing we can do. I hope they improve the designs for projects that haven't been completed."
Madam Ho Poh Hua, 52, a nurse, said: "The blocks are directly opposite a school and it's well-known that students like to come to stairwells to make out.
"Who knows what else they will do there if it gets so dark?" Residents said that they understood the need for the aluminium fins to ensure safety and privacy, so some suggested reducing the number of fins used, or reducing the fins' height so that they reach only eye level, rather than the ceiling.
Mr Mohammad Symail, 42, a hawker who signed the petition, said: "If we need the fins, I hope we can have fewer of them. People can put up curtains or blinds if the fins don't offer enough privacy.
That will give residents a chance to choose for themselves." HDB said that it received the petition last Monday, and will be working closely with the local Adviser and the Working Committee to address the residents' concerns.
Prior to the petition, it had received only two feedback letters from residents in that area, said its spokesman.
The first writer was concerned about the lack of privacy, while the second had asked not to have the fins as he felt they would obstruct ventilation.
The feedback from the two sources showed that residents have differing concerns, the spokesman said.
HDB has been working with the area's Member of Parliament, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, and the working committee to modify the designs in order to address residents' feedback and concerns, she said.
She added: "However, the final design must benefit the majority, with minimal inconvenience caused to others.
"We also seek residents' understanding that some degree of trade-off may be necessary to bring direct lift access to all."
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100618-222728.html
Residents petition against lift upgrading programme
ANOTHER group of residents is up in arms over lift-upgrading works at their block, after a similar eight month- long protest by residents in Eunos was resolved in March.
Forty-seven residents of Block 145 in Tampines Street 12 have signed a petition against the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) being carried out at their block, and submitted it to the Housing Board.
The LUP was launched by the Government in 2001 to provide a lift on every level of certain HDB flats. To date, 50 per cent of eligible blocks have been upgraded.
This petition comes after residents at Blocks 411, 415 and 417 in Eunos Road 5 asked HDB to tear down the lift shafts built under the LUP, as they blocked light and made homes too dark.
HDB then modified the design of the lift shaft, replacing part of the length of a brick wall linking the shaft to a corridor with aluminium fins, so that residents of affected units would not look out onto a full brick wall.
The fins still safeguard residents' privacy, but block less light than the solid walls.
The LUP plans for the 12 blocks in Tampines Street 12 - Blocks 140 to 151 - were put to a vote in July 2007. They were given the go-ahead by almost 86 per cent of the residents, an HDB spokesman said.
One of the residents who signed the petition, Mrs Chai Yau, 59, a housewife, said in Mandarin: "We were told we will soon have lifts on every floor, but we were not told that the modifications would result in less light and ventilation."
The area, where work started in 2008, is already getting the modified lift shafts.
But residents, who have seen the completed work in some blocks, still find that the modified lift shafts block too much light and affect ventilation.
Some fear that the dark stairwells might lead to more accidental falls, attract seedy characters and even become a make-out hot spot for students from a nearby school.
Driver Wong Wee Ming, 52, whose block has been upgraded, said in Mandarin that he had to ask the town council to switch on the corridor lights earlier, as it is already "dark as night at 3pm" and he is worried about his children's safety when they come home from school.
He said: "It's a waste of electricity but, since the construction of our block has been completed, there is nothing we can do. I hope they improve the designs for projects that haven't been completed."
Madam Ho Poh Hua, 52, a nurse, said: "The blocks are directly opposite a school and it's well-known that students like to come to stairwells to make out.
"Who knows what else they will do there if it gets so dark?" Residents said that they understood the need for the aluminium fins to ensure safety and privacy, so some suggested reducing the number of fins used, or reducing the fins' height so that they reach only eye level, rather than the ceiling.
Mr Mohammad Symail, 42, a hawker who signed the petition, said: "If we need the fins, I hope we can have fewer of them. People can put up curtains or blinds if the fins don't offer enough privacy.
That will give residents a chance to choose for themselves." HDB said that it received the petition last Monday, and will be working closely with the local Adviser and the Working Committee to address the residents' concerns.
Prior to the petition, it had received only two feedback letters from residents in that area, said its spokesman.
The first writer was concerned about the lack of privacy, while the second had asked not to have the fins as he felt they would obstruct ventilation.
The feedback from the two sources showed that residents have differing concerns, the spokesman said.
HDB has been working with the area's Member of Parliament, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, and the working committee to modify the designs in order to address residents' feedback and concerns, she said.
She added: "However, the final design must benefit the majority, with minimal inconvenience caused to others.
"We also seek residents' understanding that some degree of trade-off may be necessary to bring direct lift access to all."
