Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:54 pm
We take back our article about the things we will miss about the Woodlands Regional bus interchange because the new temporary bus interchange, Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange located at Woodlands Town Centre which opened on 12 March 2016, might just make us forget about the old one completely.
Meant to be a temporary interchange, you would have thought that the relevant authorities would skimp on costs building this up, and instead leave all the awesome features for the permanent one, right? That’s what I was thinking, but lo and behold, once you hear about some of the admittedly awesome features of the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange, you would wish it was a permanent one instead.
We kid you not, just read on and you’ll know what we mean.
It’s huge
Woodland-ers are like the McDonald’s of Japan, they get all the new stuff first. They had the first underground interchange, and now, they have one of the biggest bus interchanges in the world Singapore. This means if there’s a huge crowd at Woodlands, and honestly there are crowds everywhere in Singapore today, you’ll have more space to navigate and queue, right?
This is how it used to look like in the old interchange.
Of course, if you are worried about getting lost within the huge sprawling interchange, don’t worry. There is plenty of signage around and Interactive Panels to tell you where to go. Alternatively, you can just approach the service ambassadors who are deployed on the ground to assist. If that is not enough, it is said that LTA is prepping to put in more signage and enlarge the fonts of existing ones. Just in case, you know.
Of course, with the huge size comes a drawback as well. You’re going to walk more compared to the old interchange. And if you happen to see your bus coming? Good luck trying to run for that bus. It’ll feel like you’re running 2.4 km.
And for those who are worried that old people and pregnant ladies among many others might find it hard to traverse the huge distance, refer to the next point.
Buggy service
Priority groups like the elderly and people who have trouble moving around will definitely be psyched to hear this. Those of us in the office are not eligible, and honestly, we are excited for them as well. There is a buggy service available at this interchange for priority groups to take and get ferried to their destination with the respect they deserve. No more getting shoved around by inconsiderate young (sometimes older) people.
What is more awesome than a HUGE interchange with ferry service? NOTHING! Now, if you are not eligible for the buggy service, don’t worry, walking is good for your health anyway.
Priority Queues and Reserved Seating
And it is not just about buggy ferrying service. There are also dedicated priority queue zones at boarding berths which gives the elderly, pregnant and disabled a chance to rest their legs while waiting for the bus. We are thrilled, but at the same time, apprehensive about this. It will probably be like the reserved seats on MRT trains, with plenty of STOMP-ing (both figuratively and literally) and quarrels. And it is not just for the needy; since its opening, more seats have been installed within the interchange for public’s use as well.
Easy access to the interchange
If you thought that having a buggy service is awesome enough, wait till you read this. A Tactile Guidance System, which includes Braille handrails, will be in place to help the visually impaired locate waiting areas. And that is not all, the temporary bus interchange comes with pedestrian ramps for commuters with prams, wheelchairs and trolleys. But please hor, this ramp is not for you to speed down on your bicycle or skateboard, okay?
High tech like i-Robot
The existing display panels in other bus interchanges are simply screens that show waiting time for different bus services. What if we told you that at this temporary bus interchange, you can use the latest Interactive Panel, introduced by SMRT Buses and NEC Asia Pacific, to view the different routes and plan your journey as well?
The panel will also display what is in the area like locations of ATMs, what to eat, where to shop, etc. This is perfect for those who don’t know how to use Google Maps or have used up their data bundle.
It’s not just about journey planning
Okay, we are most impressed with this and we think you will be too. The Interactive Panels do not just show information about the area, it has this little function that is guaranteed to cheer all of us closet nomophobics up. The Interactive Panels have USB charging points as well so if your smartphone is about to die on you, just make your way there and plug it in!
And it’s not just for commuters
A SMART bus guidance system will display information on large digital panels which indicate the alighting berths and parking bays that are available. In addition to that, the traffic light timing at the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange has been adjusted to smooth the flow of traffic in and out of the interchange as well.
Now you don’t have to be stuck waiting in the bus for a long time because the alighting berth is occupied, or the red light takes a long time to change. Trust us, once you have experienced this once, you will understand the literal meaning of so near yet so far.
It’s windy
This is probably the most trivial point after all of the above but we thought it deserved a special mention. After 20 years of being stuck with a dark and stuffy underground interchange, this new temporary bus interchange, which is bright and windy will definitely give us a refreshing experience waiting for the bus. After all, not only is the new temporary bus interchange above ground, there are also mobile air coolers, and in the future, more fans within the interchange.
size
lack of escalators
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