The Angsana Tree
Two years ago, they decided to build a viaduct to ease the traffic congestion on Braddell Road. They found a huge angsana tree standing right smack in the middle of the traffic diversion. Some wanted to chop down the tree, and some wanted to keep it.
Half a year after they decided to create the relatively challenging course at Braddell Road, I got my license and a car. And I have passed the angsana tree at least four hundred times in the last 18 months without posing any danger to myself or other motorists.
LTA says that people might collide with the tree. Motorists do not slow down, and hence are not able to keep within their lanes.
Please lah…
Way before you cross the traffic lights before the tree, drivers can see that they are in for a curvy stretch of road ahead. And instead of the usual white background red triangle signs specifying the speed limit, they are using huge ass orange signboards there.
The last four hundred times I drove past, no one ever came close to hitting me, or risked being hit by me. Because sensible people start to slow down on non-straight roads and try their darnest best- which isn’t exactly very difficult actually in this scenario- to stick to their lanes. In any case, the 100-150 metres leading to the tree isn’t that smooth driving as well, so drivers wouldn’t have much chance to gain (that much) speed anyway.
I’m someone who still *coughs* mounts kerbs at multi storey carparks. But I emerge from the Angsana Area alive every single time. Therefore, I’m seriously wondering if the danger is overly exaggerated.
Accidents occur all the time- on expressways as straight as they can be, and on tricky places like traffic circuses and meandering roads. In my humble opinion, stupid reckless people who insist on not slowing down on unfamiliar terrain only have themselves to blame.
July 14th, 2007 at 8:25 am
yea…totally agree with u…*sigh*..the poor angsana tree’s gg to be chopped off…we will have 1 tree less to beautify the environment…much less a tree that is very much older than singapore who is only 42 this year…haiz…but there’s nothing much we can do now since the govt has decided to cut it down
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July 14th, 2007 at 10:55 am
agreed totally with u … cruz
why cut off so many trees making it so hot nowsaday.
NO NO NO Dun cut off the tree ….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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July 14th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
we should start a online petition to stop LTA from chopping down the poor tree with their lousy excuses. I think that stretch of road is quite easy to travel on. I think the circle line construction is posing a much more dangerous environment than the tree.
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July 14th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Haiz… on one hand.. they are trying to “save the environment” by asking ppl to use less plastic bags… and on the other hand.. they are chopping down trees just because they think it is obstructing the traffic.. i don’t understand their mindset at all…
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July 14th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
eventually still cut d tree… after spending so much $ protecting it by diverting d roads & building barriers ard it. crazy! dun waste $!
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July 14th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
ya! they might as well use the money to make the area arnd it a park or smth to conserve, and build the road somewhere else. they are actually cutting down a tree cos ppl drive too fast? that is just encouraging speeding lor!
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July 14th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
agree with what jason said. START ONLINE PETITION TO STOP THE CHOPPING DOWN!! why not cruz, you start it.. since many people are reading your blog.. really a pity to cut that angsana tree lo.. ???! :S
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July 15th, 2007 at 1:29 am
totally true…. im really shocked by their decision too… apparently with all the traffic lights and junctions there, how fast can you get man?! haizzzzz…. hope they change their mind soon… mebbe they can try driving there and see for themselves… its fine lo…
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July 15th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Very well written! This is very political la… LTA has always been under ENV’s approval ma. They want to do something different to be “powerful” i think.
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July 15th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
If they want to cut down that tree, they will have 1001 excuses. No point argue with them.
Ouch…. there goes our $200,000.
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July 15th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
How sad to read comments from people like DK who have given up their rights as a living resident of this island. Such self-declared voiceless money face should be stripe off their citizenship or PR and deported from the island….sadly, the policy seem to be importingmore of such people daily.
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July 15th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Unfortunately there are lots of lousy drivers around. One accident is one too many. Do you honestly think an otherwise rational driver should get injured just cos his driving skills are below par? Is one tree worth more than a human life? LTA won’t go to the trouble of chopping down a tree just cos they feel like it.
Anw it’s just one tree. What with global warming and all, we shld be more concerned with the NUMBER of trees rather than a single old one. Wanna worry abt trees, plant more lor.
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July 16th, 2007 at 11:06 am
They shouldn’t chop the tree..not after the Live Earth Concert. So contradicting! I heard that the people used to feed on the tree bark during the Japanese Occupation. We must always remember the source when we drink water.
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July 16th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
why not think about it this way…
LTA, you’re supposed to be planning/building/ensuring safety on the roads you build.
What if…just one day. one day there’s a massive accident at the tree (if it isn’t cut down) one car smash into the tree, followed by a few other vehicles and motorbikes. A few of ‘em died and some with serious injuries.
Now, who would the public blame? The drivers? or LTA who failed to recognise the threat the tree might pose to the traffic? Most probably, the public will blame LTA…why? Cuz it’s always easier to blame the governing bodies…
So, would you rather people die first before LTA acts? or LTA acts before such fatal accidents occur? Think about it.
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July 24th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Aiyah…. Chop down chop down lor. The whole point is that the whole area there is so dangerous already LTA needs to be seen as doing something about it. Since LTA don’t want to waste the time actually correcting the problem(of fucked up roads at the area), so just chop the tree and claim that we are doing our best to solve the braddell road problem lor.
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